The Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to San Antonio as the sixth seed and left with a 104-102 victory over the second-seeded Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday, despite a defensive performance from Victor Wembanyama that no player in playoff history had ever matched.
Wembanyama finished with 12 blocks, a new NBA postseason record. He also collected 11 points and 15 rebounds, making him just the third player to record a triple-double in the playoffs that included blocks since the league began tracking that statistic in the 1973-74 season. None of it was enough.
Anthony Edwards, who had been sidelined with a knee injury, came off the bench and scored 18 points. His return gave Minnesota a spark it had been missing and steadied a team that needed every one of those points to hold on at the end.
Wembanyama was measured in his response after the game. "We have to be better," he said. "We need to figure it out in the next 48 hours, and I've got no doubt that we will. I would trust us."
The Spurs remain at home for Game 2 on Wednesday.
