The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 114-109 to tie their second-round playoff series, following a stunning ejection of Victor Wembanyama early in the second quarter of Game 4 Sunday.
Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 16 points of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, Naz Reid added 15 and nine boards, and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Reid took the fateful elbow to the neck from a frustrated Wembanyama.
On the other hand, Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 24 points each, and Stephon Castle added 20 as they filled the gap of the absence of the French big man.
Edwards sank a 27-footer to bring Minnesota within 94-91, turning to shout at the crowd for some help down the stretch.
The Wolves superstar also hit another catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing with 5:12 left, putting them up 98-97, their first lead since midway through the third quarter.
Reid’s follow shot with 40 seconds left gave the Wolves a seven-point lead, before Harper had a rebound, a drawn foul, a steal, and two free throws to help the Spurs pull within three.
Ayo Dosunmu made two foul shots with 9.8 seconds left to put the game out of reach..
The crowd at Target Center went wild when Wembanyama walked off the floor with Minnesota leading by two, but the Wolves never fully took advantage of the gift created by his absence.
Despite the Wolves committing six turnovers in a 20-point third quarter, they have to rally as another eight-point hole early in the fourth following Fox’s 3-pointer.
The Spurs host Game 5 on Tuesday, with Wembanyama’s status to be determined by the league following the Flagrant 2 foul call and automatic ejection he received for excessive contact on Reid.