Despite losing Victor Wembanyama early, Anthony Edwards propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a comeback victory in Game 4.
David Berding / Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves only had to contend with Victor Wembanyama for 12 minutes on Sunday.
After the 7-foot-4 star was ejected just 3½ minutes into the second quarter, the sixth-seeded Timberwolves still needed a rally to defeat the Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs 114-109 in Game 4 at Target Center, tying the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
Anthony Edwards, battling knee pain, started for the second straight game and finished with 36 points for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid added 15 points and nine rebounds, and he appeared to frustrate Wembanyama.
Wembanyama was ejected after swinging his right elbow and striking Reid’s throat with 8:39 left in the second quarter. At that point, the Wolves led 36-34, and after Reid made both flagrant free throws, the lead grew to four. Minnesota went into halftime ahead 60-56.
The Timberwolves had to fight back after Wembanyama’s departure, trailing 94-86 with under nine minutes left in the game. But Edwards took over with a huge 16-point fourth quarter, and the Timberwolves executed key plays down the stretch.
“We got to capitalize when Wemby’s out of the game,” Edwards told NBC’s Zora Stephenson after the final buzzer. “You know, we came out thinking like it was gonna be easy, but those guys are really good, even without Wemby. And so we still had to play hard, and I had to just take it upon myself and try to get us to win.”
Dylan Harper came off the bench and scored 24 points for the second-seeded Spurs, who will host Game 5 on Tuesday. De’Aaron Fox added 24 points and Stephon Castle had 20 points.
Here are key takeaways from Game 4:
**Anthony Edwards to the Rescue**
With the Timberwolves’ season on the line and the franchise’s hopes on his shoulders, Edwards delivered a stunning scoring burst to tie the series and avoid a devastating loss.
Minnesota trailed by eight points early in the final quarter and struggled to find answers against the spirited, Wembanyama-less Spurs defense. Playing on two bad knees, Edwards scored on a tough drive, a pull-up jumper, and hit two big 3-pointers to push the Wolves ahead. His putback with just over two minutes remaining gave the Wolves a four-point lead, and they held on from there.
Among all his big moments since being drafted, this one ranks near the top. The Wolves were on the brink of falling behind 3-1, which would have made a series comeback nearly impossible.
Edwards stepped off the floor during a timeout to take oxygen with four minutes to play, and he breathed life into the team for the rest of the game. The Wolves needed every one of his 16 fourth-quarter points, and they will need much more from him as the series continues.
The Timberwolves still have significant concerns, especially since they couldn’t pull away with Wembanyama limited to just 12 minutes due to the ejection. But those concerns are easier to address with the series tied 2-2.
Target Center hasn’t seen its last basketball game of the season. Game 6 will be played because of Ant.
— Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer
**Potential Fallout from Wembanyama’s Shocking Ejection?**
As soon as Wembanyama’s elbow connected with Reid’s neck, his ejection was inevitable. The Spurs came close to pulling off the win of the season, but the Wolves’ resilience prevailed in the end.
The Spurs figured out how to attack without Wembanyama at halftime and completely changed the game in the third quarter. Their three point guards were able to score freely in the paint, and the team’s defense was fantastic.