The Timberwolves were on the precipice of a horrific loss that almost certainly would’ve sealed their fate in this second-round series against the Spurs. And then they did what they’ve done so many times with their backs against the wall: They dug deep and found a way.
Anthony Edwards went into superstar mode in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 36 points in the final frame. The Wolves got big plays from several guys as they rallied down the stretch, closing on a 28-15 run after trailing 94-86. And their 114-109 victory in Game 4 — a game that will be remembered for Victor Wembanyama’s first-half ejection — evened things up heading into Game 5 in San Antonio on Tuesday night.
The Wolves absolutely had to have this one, as falling into a 3-1 hole against these 62-win Spurs would’ve likely been a death sentence. But for a while, even after Wembanyama’s ejection, Minnesota didn’t exactly seem to realize the importance of the moment. Fortunately for them, that changed when it mattered most.
Edwards brought the Wolves back when they needed their superstar to deliver. And then a bunch of other players stepped up in the final minutes. Rudy Gobert had a big and-one finish off of a Naz Reid pass. A Julius Randle offensive board kept a possession alive for an Edwards layup. Randle set up a Gobert dunk. Ayo Dosunmu converted an and-one to make it 110-103. Reid had a big putback on the next possession.
And still, the Wolves made it harder than it had to be. Up five with just under 30 seconds left, they turned it over in their backcourt, allowing the Spurs to cut it to three. They nearly turned it over again until Chris Finch called a timeout to save an eight-second violation and Dosunmu somehow corralled the ensuing long inbounds pass — with some help from a fortunate deflection off of his leg.
HOW DID AYO DOSUNMU CATCH THIS PASS?! 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/9fJ3SvChtj
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 11, 2026
In the end, all that matters is that the Wolves found a way to win and even up the series.
Ant takes over
With things looking dicey for the Wolves in the fourth quarter and offense not coming easy for most of the roster, Edwards put his cape on and went into superhero mode. He scored nine of the Wolves’ first 11 points in the fourth quarter, including a 5-0 spurt with a midrange shot and a three from the top of the key with his team down by eight.
Edwards then drove the lane and hit two free throws. He gave the Wolves their first lead in quite some time with a catch-and-shoot three that made it 98-97. And his offensive board and putback to make it 105-101 capped off a massive quarter for Minnesota’s best player, who has put up back-to-back impressive performances while playing through two bad knees.
Anthony Edwards hit a three to give the Timberwolves the lead and tapped Mitch Johnson on the chest 😭 pic.twitter.com/mqKqOhynsz
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 11, 2026
Awful third quarter for Minnesota
Heading into the third quarter, the Wolves led by four points and had a chance to gain some separation on their home court over a Spurs team missing its best player. Instead, it went the opposite direction in a truly awful quarter for Minnesota. The Wolves were outscored 28-20 in the period, and it could’ve been worse if not for a couple big Terrence Shannon Jr. threes towards the end.
At one point late in the quarter, the Wolves had made 4 of 17 shots and turned the ball over four times. They couldn’t finish in the paint even with Wembanyama off the floor, and they settled for far too much 1-on-1 basketball. Edwards and Randle combined for four points in the quarter. Shannon forced a couple possessions at the end of the quarter and Dosunmu missed a layup in the final seconds.
Randle salvages a tough night
Coming into this game, the pressure was on Randle to bounce back after an ugly showing in Game 3. That didn’t exactly happen. He scored just 12 points for the second straight game, and his six turnovers were part of the reason the Wolves fell behind. Four games into this series, he has 18 turnovers and 20 made field goals.
But Randle salvaged his night when it mattered most. He had a huge offensive rebound with the Wolves up by two points, then drove to the rim and dropped a pass off to Gobert to put the Wolves up six. Randle also came up with a couple big defensive stops over the course of the night. Still, Minnesota needs more far more offense from him over the remainder of this series.
Wemby ejected in first half
Sunday’s game changed dramatically in one moment with 8:39 on the clock in the second quarter. Wembanyama grabbed an offensive rebound over two Timberwolves, then took some contact to his face from Jaden McDaniels, who was swiping at the ball. It went uncalled. Appearing to lose his composure, Wembanyama delivered a vicious elbow to Reid’s head and neck area. It was reviewed and determined to meet all the criteria for a flagrant two, and Wemby was ejected.
The Wolves didn’t immediately create much separation after the Spurs lost their best player. The score was 38-34 after Reid made the two resulting free throws, and Minnesota’s lead remained just four points at halftime despite getting up to nine at one point in the second quarter. Luke Kornet stepped in as the Spurs’ main big man, and Stephon Castle led San Antonio with 14 points at the half. De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Castle would up combining for 68 points in the game.
Wolves go on a first-quarter run after slow start
It wasn’t quite as bad as Friday’s game, when the Wolves had one single point over halfway through the first quarter, but Minnesota got off to another slow start on offense at Target Center in this one. Randle missed three early shots and Reid hit the side of the backboard on a three over Wemby as the Spurs took an 18-12 lead.
But Edwards started to heat up in the quarter to breathe some life into the Wolves, Mike Conley hit a pair of threes late in the quarter, and Reid delivered a few buckets, including an and-one finger roll on a fast break. The Wolves started 7 of 19 from the floor, then made five of their last seven shots and used a 14-3 run to pull ahead after the opening frame.
Game 5 is Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in San Antonio.
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