Victor Wembanyama collected 19 points and 15 rebounds Wednesday night as the San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-95 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series, leveling the best-of-seven at one game apiece.
The margin was not close at any point. San Antonio led 59-35 at halftime, the lowest-scoring first half Minnesota had posted all season. The 133 points also stood as San Antonio's highest playoff total since 1983, and the Spurs have not lost back-to-back games since January 11 and 13, a stretch that now covers 49 games.
Wembanyama, who won Defensive Player of the Year this season, was direct about the motivation heading into Game 2 after San Antonio dropped the opener at home. "I'm expecting this kind of response from myself, from my team-mates, so I'm not surprised by any means," he told reporters, according to BBC Sport. He added: "There is some ego. They assaulted us in game one, we wanted to assault [them] in game two."
The Spurs entered the postseason as the second seed in the Western Conference and now head back to San Antonio with the series tied.
In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks moved ahead 2-0 in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 108-102 win at home, a game that featured 25 lead changes, the most in any playoff game in 11 years. The outcome was uncertain deep into the fourth quarter before Jalen Brunson took over.
Brunson finished with 26 points, eight of them in the final period as New York pulled clear. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds. For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 26 points, but the 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who was ruled out hours before tip-off with right hip soreness and a right ankle sprain.
Philadelphia now faces a 0-2 deficit heading into Game 3 in Philadelphia on Friday, with Embiid's status still uncertain.
