Game Five Preview: San Antonio Spurs Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

The San Antonio Spurs did what they needed to do in Minnesota. The Spurs reclaimed home-court advantage with a win in Game Three. After losing a winnable Game Four, 114-109, the Spurs will head back to San Antonio to defend their home court and re-take a series lead.

Game Five will be one of intrigue for several reasons. Chief among them is the return of Victor Wembanyama, who was ejected from Game Four after earning a Flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Naz Reid in the neck. Wembanyama avoided d a fine and a suspension, which has drawn some ire from national media talking heads. Now, an already physical series will be played under a microscope, with both teams motivated to beat up on each other, and the officials watching even more closely for extracurricular contact.

What this game and series will ultimately come down to is the performance of each team’s star player. Anthony Edwards has been nothing short of incredible playing on two bum knees, but still scoring 36 points in Game Four. Wembanyama dominated Games Two and Three, and will certainly be looking to bounce back from a regrettable moment in Game Five. Whichever one can out-duel the other may leave San Antonio with a 3-2 advantage.

San Antonio Spurs (2-2) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)

May 12th, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT

Watch: NBC / Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (ankle)

Timberwolves Injuries: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles)

What to watch for:

Physicality and foul calls

Despite what most people would say online, the winner of a basketball game is not determined by the referees. That said, they will have a crucial role to play in Game Five. Both sides will come after each other physically, and both will complain when they don’t get the foul calls they think they deserve. Wembanyama’s elbow has escalated the stakes of the physical play in this series. Both teams have been enforcing their will on the other. Whether it be the Spurs’ aggressive point-of-attack defense and tough drives to the rim, or the Wolves’ swarming help defense and dominance on the offensive glass. Whatever team can play physical enough without getting into foul trouble will have a distinct advantage.

Securing the boards

In Game Four, the Spurs allowed the Wolves to grab 15 offensive rebounds for the second game in a row. Granted, they didn’t have their best rebounder in Wembanyama for three-quarters of the game. A lot of the rebounds they are giving up would be out of Wembanyama’s control anyway. Minnesota is grabbing long rebounds off misses or scooping up 50/50 balls while the Spurs are busy blocking out bigger rebounders like Rudy Gobert. San Antonio has to negate the Wolves’ advantage on the glass to reclaim a lead in this series.

Three-point shooting

San Antonio has struggled to shoot from three in both of their losses this series. In Game One, they shot 28% from deep, and they hit just 23% of their deep shots in Game Four. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie have to knock down every wide-open three-pointer they have. If not, they are handing over free possessions to Minnesota. De’Aaron Fox’s shooting has gone cold for most of the series. His offense is of the utmost importance heading into the final games of the series. Fox is questionable for Game Five after sustaining an ankle injury in Game Four. The Spurs will need him and the rest of their shooters to warm up to take down the Wolves at home.