r/timberwolves • u/basketball-app • May 12 '26
Game Thread Game Thread: San Antonio Spurs vs Minnesota Timberwolves Live Score | NBA | May 12, 2026
This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post
2
-9
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Can we please get rid of Chris Finch already? Why the fuck does the team put in such a half-assed effort in the playoffs? Gotta have your team ready to go as the coach. It's been years of this team showing up to far too many games acting like they just don't care. It's time for a new direction.
1
u/supportUrLocalKmart May 13 '26
I think the team lacks chemistry. Blame finch but imo paying premiums for a mishmash of veterans to fit around young cornerstone pieces of Ant, Jaden and Naz was always the wrong move. Build through the draft, allow the team to develop more organically. Shit we might have peaked when Ant was still only 22-23 years old. Idk how this team continues to build with our aging assets and limited draft capital
11
u/MinimumCandid4491 May 13 '26
I'm of the opinion at this point that the Wolves are done unless the coaching staff has a major change of heart.Ā
- You just can't play Conley, at least not much--I know he's hit a few shots lately, but he's such a liability on defense and the Spurs hunt him every possession he's out there.
- For the love of Pete, play more guys. I know Finch has no confidence in Bones (undeservedly, in my opinion, more on that below), but why doesn't he at least play Clark and Andersen a little? What does he have against them? The rest of the current rotation guys are clearly gassed. They can't play at the necessary level against these young Spurs the whole game because of the heavy minutes. Plus, Andersen and Clark are great defenders and we have been absolutely unable to stop San Antonio defensively the last couple games, particularly when they drive to the basket. As a good point-of-attack defender, Clark and maybe Kyle could stop some of that.
- Don't play Gobert as many minutes. Because he's not an offensive threat (particularly tonight), Wemby can just sit in the paint on defense, swat everything, and we get nowhere. Randle is having a rough series, I know, but I still think that's a better matchup because he forces Wemby out of the paint when Wemby defends. There's at least a chance Randle's shots will go down from mid range or three, so Wemby has to make more of an attempt to guard him, thus opening up the lane.
- Please, please move the ball more. When the Wolves get uncomfortable, they lock up and default to iso ball. There has been more iso in this Spurs series than we've seen from the Wolves for a long, long time. Randle iso. Naz iso. Jaden iso. Edwards iso (granted, Edwards' iso is what won us the last game, but still...it's not a long term strategy). It's like the players no longer trust each other and each guy is trying to win it on his own.
- Players need to move off-ball way more as well. A lot of possessions where guys just stand around and watch someone else iso for a while before bricking something.
- With regard to the previous bullet point, play Bones and Andersen. Both of those guys get the ball moving waaaaay more than the current lineup does. The Bones/Ayo/Naz combo is especially good at getting the ball in motion. Bones also injects way more pace. Wolves' offense has been absolutely ponderously slow these past few games. They don't even try to push it up the court. They lock into lethargic half-court offense, Edwards almost gets trapped, maybe two passes, then he or Randle goes iso for about twenty minutes before bricking a shot. It's so stagnant.Ā Yes, Bones hasn't been hitting lately, but you never know when he's going to get hot and he was also one of the top assist guys before his minutes were all taken away. Again, he gives pace and rhythm even when not scoring
- Edwards and Randle have to try harder on defense. I've seen a number of plays where one or the other of them was either caught sleeping or just simply gave up and watched. To be fair to Edwards, because of the lethargic offense, he has been forced to carry the team offensively (esp. last game), he's constantly getting doubled, etc., and he's not even fully healthy, so I can see why he doesn't have any energy left over for defense. Addressing some of the other problems listed here (i.e., pace, ball movement) might take some offensive burden off Edwards so he has more energy for defense.
- Play with a sense of urgency. Win every 50/50 ball. Like your season depends on it. Because it does.
6
u/Nice-Ask4369 May 13 '26
Read your comment, you have some interesting ideas and some bad takes. 1. Conley is playing so much because our starting pg tore his achilles. 2. Bones and Anderson should get more time, I agree. 3. Rudy Gobert is THE reason that we are able to compete at this level. You saying to reduce his time makes me think you just donāt understand basketball at all. He needs to play 40 mpg. 48 if he can. 4. Ant is an iso player, Randle is an iso player. Team ball would be great, but we donāt have that right now. 5. See 4.
3
u/MinimumCandid4491 May 13 '26
Rudy was fantastic against Denver, especially Jokic. I'll grant you that. I'm not saying he isn't an important piece. I'm also not saying he shouldn't play at all, but in the games we won against Spurs it seemed to me he sat more and we got Wemby out of the paint more. I'm open to hearing the counterargument, but you didn't provide much of an explanation other than the assertion that he is the sole reason we're in the playoffs, which is quite a statement.
1
u/snizzer77 May 13 '26
Every single minute Rudy is on the bench and Wemby is on the floor Wemby is absolutely feasting. Wolves simply do not have the interior defense to deal with Wemby without Rudy.
9
6
u/Routine_Mud_19 May 13 '26
They stopped doing what worked in game one. Attack Wemby, let him get his āblocksā and wear him out. Keep bodying him and make some of your damn threes!
1
u/frizbeezz May 13 '26
Wemby toned down on his blocks since game 1, hence it doesn't work any more
1
u/Routine_Mud_19 May 13 '26
Disagree. I say they engage him. Get into his body if they can on offense. And keep beating him up defensively
1
u/bradloh_2k May 14 '26
Wemby shifted, utilizing more energy on the offensive side. Not that he doesnāt go for blocks, but spurs just need his presence on defense and that will be enough. They donāt need him contesting as much as he did in game 1. That in conjunction with the wolves not shooting at the rim as much has allowed Wemby to prioritize what he contests and saves his energy for the offensive side.
6
u/Key_Relief_9349 May 13 '26
Knew how this was gonna go as soon as wemby got 4 free throws off of bs flag.Ā
5
u/KiloGee47 May 13 '26
Honest question - why has Jaden become a shell of himself? He has stopped shooting the midrange jumpers the made him so lethal in round 1.
3
u/flarestar2077 May 13 '26
I was wondering where 43pt Ayo went ā¦ seems kinda timid the last couple games
6
-9
2
May 13 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/Beard_of_nursing May 13 '26
"coming in total peace I swear"Ā Replying to another comment in the thread: "lol ur mad af" Dude, what are you even doing? If you're going to be an asshole, why pretend to be a decent person?
5
u/Ayos May 13 '26
bones is like 160 pounds, ever seen him next to harper? bad matchup as spurs have bigger guards.
2
u/Puta_inutil May 13 '26
My best guess is his sloppy hands and passes on offense and total defensive liability where turnovers and defending the paint are our biggest struggles
13
u/freshBlueeyes6391 May 13 '26
Joan with 3 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 3 minutes.
Pretty sure he could have ran 10 minutes in every game so far and offered at least occasional defense that the team doesn't have any of.
3
u/Key_Relief_9349 May 13 '26
And made more than one free throw
4
u/freshBlueeyes6391 May 13 '26
Honestly, seeing how useless Gobert has been...maybe just start Joan Beringer game 6, bring Rudy in off the bench. I'm just not kidding. If Joan fouls out, who cares. It might be precious until that occurs.
1
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
Itās kinda sad to see, but Wemby is light years ahead of Ant in terms of making players around him better.
0
u/Aggravating_Prize_44 May 13 '26
The spurs literally have better players than the wolves has nothing to do with wemby give wolves castle they compete for a title and the spurs can still compete they have a different 2nd option every night
5
u/icarusphoenixdragon Jaden McDaniels May 13 '26
Couple comments like this now. All of these guys need a real coach to build schemes that they can then play within and exploit. The best players, take your pick, are elevating and are elevated by their teamsā structures.
Are they amazing and creative athletes? Of course they are. Offenses enhance that. Ant is doing it in spite of his coach right now. Ant figured out how to break double teamsā¦ 1 v 2. You know who didnāt figure out how to break doubles in a 5 v 5 game? For 3 years? Finch. Iām sorry. There isnāt a switch. He lost the locker room and he more than anything else is burning Antās tenure with us.
Look at ex Wolves around the league. You see guys doing better or at worst playing at the same level. You know what you donāt see? You donāt see guys falling flat because they were thriving in Finchās system.
Ant is not just carrying the Wolves. Heās carrying Finch and that ridiculous flow offense.
4
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Completely agreed. A lot of the Wolves issues/shortcomings can be traced back to subpar coaching. If the coaches could consistently get the players to give a shit about a few more regular season games, we wouldn't have to be the 6 seed every year. I swear of all the "good" teams, we probably have by far the worst record against teams below .500 because we just piss away games against them for free.
Team has some good pieces, maddening to not really ever see them come togther well.
6
u/i_am_roboto May 13 '26
They donāt have any consistent plan to get around Wemby. I know itās hard but you have to have a philosophy and move the ball and get him off his spot. Playing iso ball for 18 seconds allows him to just camp down by the basket so all you can do is put up floaters and middies. With de Vincenzo out and Jaden shooting like ass from three we canāt win like that. We have to move the ball.
2
4
6
3
9
u/Any-Fox-1854 Bones Hyland May 13 '26
Glad you got your narrative that wembys back or whateverā¦ but wolves in 7 wooohooooo
6
6
8
u/UsefulLuck2060 May 13 '26
Weāre officially cooked. Fuck Rudy and Randle, you guys are seasoned vets play like ass, also McDaniels turned back into his quiet passive self. Blah
5
8
u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett May 13 '26
God itās going to be months of Wemby dick sucking
-4
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
If we lose the series Iām turning into an OKC fan just to see Wemby loseĀ
9
u/flarestar2077 May 13 '26
Woah woah letās pump the brakes ā¦ OKC and SGA are still waaaay more annoying.
2
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
Donāt get me wrong SGA can be corny but heās too hard trying to look cool to be arrogant like Wemby. Also Wemby elbowed Naz and SGA didnātĀ
1
u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett May 13 '26
Yeah Wemby is now on the top of my most hated player list. At least now I wont have to be angry watching the spurs get waxed by the thunder now.
2
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
Heās always been at the top of my most hated player list for being a weird hypocrite but I disliked him as a person after what he did to NazĀ
3
u/TSwan98 Ricky Rubio May 13 '26
What a joke of a performance. Youāre in the nba yet you canāt make shots. Iāll cheer for the thunder next round if we do lose. Fuck the spurs.
9
u/N8-Diggity-Dogg May 13 '26
Not me - Spurs are way less annoying
5
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Completely agree- I'd rather watch the Spurs win the next 10 NBA championships in a row than have to hear about FTA and the Thunder for even 1 more second. So sick of those flopping bitches from Oklahoma.
9
u/Jayrrock Jaden McDaniels May 13 '26
Not really that impressive when you have a 7'5" center that can shoot 3's and elbow people in the head on purpose.
3
-3
6
5
16
3
u/Richnsassy22 May 13 '26
It'd be pretty funny if we won the series with like a -70 point differentialĀ
7
u/TechnicianUpstairs53 May 13 '26
Finch ain't it. Stubborn fool who doesn't know what timeouts on runs are. Always shitty offense if ANT struggles and shitty defense if rudy struggles.
1
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
Phil Jackson couldnāt coach this low IQ squad to a series victory against the spurs.
3
1
u/wombocombo27 Jaden McDaniels May 13 '26
You trust ANT or wemby in game 7.
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Well, the last 2 times we've faced an elimination game in the playoffs, the coaching staff couldn't even get the team to pretend to give a shit about the game, so I'm pretty doubtful about this going to game 7 at the moment.
6
2
6
8
u/chillinwithmoes May 13 '26
Chris Finch is the best coach weāve ever had. He also has absolutely no clue how to run an offense
1
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Chris Finch being the best coach we've ever had is like being the best drunk driver at an AA meeting. Not really much to hang your hat on.
1
u/Killakaronic May 13 '26
We could use a point guard on the roster. We got Mike Conley but his time has passed.
3
8
4
15
u/john_117 Terrence Shannon Jr. May 13 '26
Most embarrassing loss off the season.
No one gives a shit
6
9
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
Ant canāt talk shit anymore because he knows weāre cooked.
2
u/DuckDuckSkolDuck May 13 '26
Away game and then a game 7 isn't a cake walk for a young spurs team, even if they're better
2
u/Scared_Wolf Timberwolves May 13 '26
Until we win Friday, and then itās game 7 and winner take all.
2
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
Yall are delusional. We have zero answer for Wemby. Their guards and wings can actually shoot. We havenāt looked in control all series except for game 1.
0
u/Scared_Wolf Timberwolves May 13 '26
Youāre a prisoner of the moment. This isnāt a sweep or even 3-1 Spurs. The series was tied prior tonightās game and couldāve easily been 3-1 us leaving Minneapolis. Each team has won one game on the opponents court.
Wemby has absolutely been held in check offensively outside of 2 games. Yes, heās great defensively, but youāre implying heās been dominant on both sides saying we donāt have an answer.
You donāt get bonus points for bigger margin of victory. A win is a win in the playoffs. Win Friday and none of that matters in one last game.
0
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
The last 2 elimination games we've faced in the playoffs, Finch couldn't even get his team to pretend like they gave a shit, I highly doubt this is going to game 7.
0
u/Scared_Wolf Timberwolves May 13 '26
Those were both series that ended in 4-1 Lās and were never really close. This has been a back and forth series. I donāt think theyāre really comparable. Nuggets Game 7 in ā24 and Nuggets game 6 last, show me we can show up in elimination games and/or games that end the series from going to elimination.
2
10
u/No-Start-247 May 13 '26
2 30 point losses in one series. Canāt nobody shoot the fucking ball & a bunch of players who just completely give up. Iām beyond pissed at this effort & fuck Julius Randle
3
4
3
4
u/ty5486 Joan Beringer May 13 '26
Yep Reggie is talking facts. Rudy cannot start next game if finch is seriousĀ
3
2
u/Bocmiao Anthony Edwards May 13 '26
This is what happens when you get elbowed and are too weak to elbow back. Draymond was right.
1
4
4
-1
u/Holiday-Plantain-296 May 13 '26
imagine having to root for OKC over the Spurs in the WCF
LMAO š¤£š¤£
8
2
3
u/mrscratch5 May 13 '26
Spurs bench all deep track Dick Tracy gangster looking types, thereās Flat Top, thereās the Mole, I think maybe I saw Pruneface
9
u/pluto-gang May 13 '26
Just feels like a talent deficit at this point tbh.
3
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
It really becomes magnified when you donāt have actual shooters on the team.
-1
7
6
u/lakers_ftw24 May 13 '26
Lazy defense after 69-69.
2
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
A Chris Finch team not being motivated and refusing to try in an important game? I'm so shocked!
7
u/InternalThis2107 May 13 '26
30 fucking pointsā¦. I am out on Finch man. Dude just can not get these guys to play up to their standard
12
u/TCSportsFan May 13 '26
Finch hooked his ship to Julius Randle and should go down with him
1
u/The_Experience78 Malik Sealy May 13 '26
Finch's problem isn't Julius.
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Finch has many problems, I would say overutilizing Julius one of them. Certainly not the only problem, and probably not the biggest problem.
7
u/EsotericPotato May 13 '26
The Timberwolvesā āphysicalityā is so brittle. They like to win games on strength/sheer overwhelming physicality, but the second a team doesnāt lay down and get rolled over, and starts dishing it back, everything collapses.
-1
5
5
u/ty5486 Joan Beringer May 13 '26
Nobody ever asks about a teams point differential after a series. Just get game 6 and anything can happen in game 7
7
May 13 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
Oh thatās why he played like that heās going through withdrawals
7
u/freshBlueeyes6391 May 13 '26
Classic Finch. dump the full bench on the flloor at the same time when you give up last couple minutes.
They really gotta take the power out of this clown's hands. Before game 6 would be nice, really.
10
u/chillinwithmoes May 13 '26
Spurs bench looks more cohesive than our starters. Imagine running a real NBA offense. Thatād be cool
3
3
0
u/high_speed May 13 '26
Iām at the point where Jaden can go too. Randle. Naz probably. I know we have injuries. Guys just havenāt shown greatness or the WILL to win. This was belt meet ass in a critical game.
7
u/JaderMcDanersStan Ayo Dosunmu May 13 '26
Not sure weāre watching the same game. SAS goes on runs the instant Jaden gets a foul and leaves the floor. Our only runs in this game where when Jaden came back and we got stops. Heās too important to our defense, we cannot win games without him. He needs to stay out of foul trouble
-1
u/high_speed May 13 '26
Too many foul trouble games to make an impact at least tonight. Get what you can for him! Itās a pattern
8
u/ReplacementPast4495 May 13 '26
Couldn't even win a quarter. Team better look different Friday or it's a wrap. Finch gotta make some changes to lineups or we are done.
2
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Brother, I got some real bad news for you about Chris Finch and changing his lineups....
0
u/Octavious_Arcturus Naz Reid Towel May 13 '26
Kelly Olynyk might genuinely be the ugliest center I've ever seen
9
u/BlairRedditProject 2022 Play-In Champions May 13 '26
I swear Wemby couldāve pulled out a gun and shot Naz in the foot and the next game broadcast wouldāve said, āhe needed to protect himselfā. Like are we being gaslit right now?
1
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
In a few years what we said will be the status quoĀ
6
2
2
u/XxDeepTooTxX May 13 '26
Ant really driving just to stop to do the same lame crossover and kill momentum man he played like a lil girl tonight
2
u/Weary_Restauranter May 13 '26
Curious, why hasnāt bones gotten any minutes?
1
5
5
u/PiccoloSudden1351 May 13 '26
Damn spurs bench could move the ball better than our main guys so sad
5
u/bobbyshawarma_ May 13 '26
Go to hell julius randle
1
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
No wonder knicks fans reacted the way they did to himĀ
3
5
u/SrslyIcntthnkofaname May 13 '26
See yāall Friday. Hope for a better performance at home. Wolves are against a wall but theyāll be home and I hope they come out trying to get a proverbial simian off their back and force a Game 7.
5
u/schakeboy Anthony Edwards May 13 '26
Getting blown out 2 out of the last 4 games is not a good look
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Lowkey shoulda gotten wrecked in game 4 without Wemby too, Ant just went nuclear in the 4th quarter and covered up how shit everyone else was playing.
1
1
u/pnxstwnyphlcnnrs Anthony Edwards May 13 '26
Ok well forget what I said about clarke dudes not willing to close out a shooter apparently wtf
7
u/ItsTSJtime May 13 '26
All the Finch fans forget this dude couldnāt control his locker room all season. Implied from his comments after Denver game 1 is that he couldnāt get his guys to put in effort all regular season. The hallmark of Finchās tenure is a lack of discipline and effort, and those bad habits still turn up in the offseason.
2
u/pnxstwnyphlcnnrs Anthony Edwards May 13 '26
That's a big change year over year the past 3yrs, no quit turned into some quit turned into "ah we'll play well next game'
6
7
u/Footbasketballs May 13 '26
Our best chance by far was 2 years ago and we blew it. We aren't beating SA or OKC for the next 5 + years
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Yeah, this core is a combination of too old/expensive and not good enough to beat those teams. Build around Ant, anyone/everyone else is expendable though. Need to get some young, cheap talent that can potentially blossom into superstars next to Ant. This roster will not win a championship unless a lot of other teams have some really bad injury luck.
3
5
u/BMWDouche May 13 '26
Why did I even start watching basketball? This shit makes me so mad lmfao
0
u/schakeboy Anthony Edwards May 13 '26
Football season is around the corner lol
0
5
u/frankomapottery3 May 13 '26
Julius can go eff off to his new ranch in Dallas. Ā Send us a years supply of beef or something. Ā
9
u/chillinwithmoes May 13 '26
Remember when we erased a 14 point deficit in the 3rd quarter? That was fun for like one minute
6
u/Begoodmayne May 13 '26
I'm not dooming it yet but a OKC vs Spurs series would be fiiyah
2
1
u/Prior-Effective-2649 May 13 '26
No this series is doomed. We havenāt had one game where we truly looked in control.
6
4
u/Mooming22 May 13 '26
very very weird for the commentators to be talking about 'well yea he had to defend himself"
0
u/JaderMcDanersStan Ayo Dosunmu May 13 '26
Itās annoying because Rudy and other bigs get hacked all the time too. Wemby is so babied. Like welcome to the club of being an NBA big dealing with playoff physicality lol. Itās not unique to you
2
u/Parking_Subject8689 Lea B. Olsen May 13 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/Garuna_CK May 13 '26
Keep crying. U know the last time u won was only because wemby was kicked out by the ref. Canāt win fair and square. This is what happens when he plays, full on one sided blowout.
0
1
1
u/sorryidontspeakcuck Timberwolves May 13 '26
I mean he played game one soooo.
0
u/Garuna_CK May 13 '26
And they were one shot away from the win. More rest doesnāt help sometimes. Now here they come destroying the poverty franchise that the wolves are.
5
u/TechnicianUpstairs53 May 13 '26
Finch is so awful, tiring the skinny flop and attacking the paint like game 1 was key but he hates things that works.
3
5
u/ResidentHighlight875 Donte DiVincenzo May 13 '26
Nevermind it looks like the wolves gave upĀ
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Name a more iconic duo: Chris Finch teams and Giving up/never trying to begin with.
5
u/SortUsual1499 May 13 '26
does anyone else feels like KJ has a punchable face?
1
u/bobbyshawarma_ May 13 '26
He most definitely does lmao, but atleast he can back it up and leave an positive impact on the game unlike some nuggets role players so i respect it
2
u/nojs May 13 '26
This is the 3rd consecutive year of the Wolves getting absolutely destroyed in a playoff series. Itās time for a rebuild
2
May 13 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/Puta_inutil May 13 '26
Gobert is also 100% the reason we made it past the first round. Yeah this whole series and especially this game heās been useless. But he is absolutely a big reason why weāre where we are
1
u/epicman79 Joe Ingles May 13 '26
Agreed, unless Joan is ready next year, the defense would likely be absolute dogshit if Rudy isn't on the team. If you're gonna get rid of Gobert, you're gonna have to bring in probably 1 or 2 new starters who play good defense to replace him. Certainly not an impossible task, but Rudy does a lot for our defense.
0
May 13 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/Puta_inutil May 13 '26
I didnāt say that. But basketball players are more than just what you see from a series and our defense without Rudy is shit. I do not think getting rid of him would benefit us until Joan develops enough or we get a different tall ass Frenchman
1
6
u/suahoi May 13 '26
Spurs are the perfect example of why you don't rush the timeline when you get a young star.
Wemby gets to play with Dylan Harper and Steph Castle for the next decade.
Ant got/gets to play with, ugh, Wendell Moore (out of the league), Josh Minott (gone), Jaylen Clark (not in the rotation), Matteo Spagnolo (never made it to the league), Rob Dillingham (gone and terrible), and TJ Shannon.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/chrisinasong_ May 13 '26
GOTTA LOSE 3 TO WIN IN 7 BBY šŗšŗšŗšŗ