Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs
Date: January 17th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Frost Bank Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
There are losses where you shrug, chalk it up as a schedule loss, and move on. And then there are losses that linger because you know exactly how winnable they were.
Friday night in Houston fell squarely into the second category. Not because Minnesota got embarrassed. They didn’t. Not because Kevin Durant did Kevin Durant things. That’s the job description. It was frustrating because the Wolves had the game right there, in their hands, on a night when they were missing Anthony Edwards, and still managed to let it slip away. There’s no shame in losing to one of the West’s best teams when your top-five superstar is out. There is frustration in losing a game you could have stolen because the second half turned into a self-inflicted unraveling.
And the real kicker? Houston was on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a loss to Oklahoma City the night before. This was supposed to be the “tired legs, heavy shots, Wolves run them off the floor” script. For a half, it looked like that’s exactly where it was headed. Minnesota was locked in defensively with Rudy Gobert swallowing up looks around the rim like Houston had tried to shoot a basketball through a black hole. The Wolves were moving the ball, pushing the pace, turning misses into transition chances, and playing like the grown-up January version of themselves.
Then the second half happened.
The refs turned things into a disjointed, foul-heavy, rhythm-free slog in the third. Minnesota never recovered its rhythm. The ball movement evaporated. The tempo slowed. And the Wolves, who had an opportunity to pressure tired legs, force Houston to chase, and turn this into a track meet, did the exact opposite. They let Houston pack the paint, load up on Julius Randle, swarm him on every bully-ball drive, and choke the oxygen out of the offense.
And look: Randle filled the stat sheet, sure. But he also turned into a black hole in the worst way, forcing looks against multiple defenders, occasionally coughing it up, and leaving everyone else watching instead of participating. It was like the offense got reduced to one guy trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube with boxing gloves on, while everyone else stood around.
The most brutal part? The free throws. Minnesota shot 57% from the line. That’s not “bad for an NBA team,” that’s “bad for a high school team.” The Wolves left 15 points at the stripe. Rudy went 2-for-10. That’s the kind of stat that makes you check the box score twice because you assume you misread it. If Minneosta hits even a third of those misses, you’re talking overtime or a road win you had no business getting without Ant.
So yes, the loss is frustrating. But it also tells you something important: Minnesota can hang with Houston even shorthanded. If Ant plays, that matchup looks very different. If the Wolves simply don’t self-destruct at the line, that game probably swings.
Unfortunately, now there’s no time to sulk. Because the second leg of the Texas two-step is waiting, and it’s the bigger one: Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs, and a rematch that comes with real standings consequences.
After the Houston slip-up, Minnesota is now 1.5 games back of Denver and San Antonio, who are tied for the two/three seeds. There won’t be any standings leapfrogging on Saturday night, but there is a chance to stop the bleeding and close the gap, as well as a very real risk of getting swept through Texas if Anthony Edwards can’t go as he battles his toe infection.
This is where the weekend turns from “slightly annoying” to “could spiral fast if you’re not careful.”
So yeah. Big game. Again.
And with that, here are the keys.
#1: Hit your free throws.
I cannot believe we’re back here. This is an NBA team fighting for top-three positioning and they’re treating the charity stripe like it’s a haunted house. Minnesota’s free throw ineptitude is not just ugly, it’s actively cost them games against their own conference rivals in OKC and Houston. In two of the biggest measuring-stick games they’ve played, the Wolves have basically spotted the opponent points like they’re donating to a cause. And now they go into San Antonio, potentially without Ant, on the road, against an elite team, and you’re telling me they’re going to win while giving away free points? No. If they shoot like that again, it’s over before the fourth quarter even arrives.
#2: Don’t cower to Wembanyama.
Last week, Minnesota started down 16–0 because they looked like they were trying to solve Wembanyama instead of playing basketball. Everything was hesitant. Everything was off-kilter. They weren’t getting their normal looks, and you could feel the intimidation factor creep into the shot selection, like the rim was guarded by a 7’4 French demogorgon. The Wolves can’t do that again. They’ve now had the experience of seeing how the game changes when Victor is on vs. off the floor. They need to use it. Attack with purpose. Don’t settle into the “we’ll just jack threes and hope” offense. And Julius Randle needs to tap into what worked late last game with the bully-ball defense, the physicality, and the “I’m not moving for you” attitude that sent Wembanyama into baby giraffe mode.
#3: Move the ball like the game depends on it — because it kind of does.
Houston was a masterclass in what happens when Minnesota’s offense stagnates. The disjointed third quarter killed the rhythm, Randle became the whole offense, and everyone else got iced out. McDaniels and DiVincenzo basically became spectators. That can’t happen again, especially with Wembanyama looming behind every drive like a skyscraper with arms. Whether Ant plays or not, this has to be a team offense. Randle can score, yes, but his superpower is using his gravity to create open threes and easy looks when the defense collapses. If he’s just trying to bully through triple teams for 48 minutes, you’re playing right into San Antonio’s hands.
#4: Win the non-Wemby minutes like it’s a separate game inside the game.
This was the biggest tell last time: the Wolves looked like two different teams depending on whether Wembanyama was on the floor. When he sat, Minnesota’s offense suddenly breathed again. Spacing improved, driving lanes opened, and the Spurs’ defense looked human. The Wolves have to treat those non-Wemby minutes like a hunting license. Attack immediately. Push the pace. Go on runs. Make it hurt when he rests. They’ve used this receipe before against Denver with Jokic. Survive the star minutes, dominate the bench minutes, and steal the game in the margins.
#5: Naz Reid has to be the spark plug again.
Naz was a beast from deep against Houston, one of the only guys keeping the offense from fully dying when the rhythm disappeared. If Ant can’t go, Naz becomes even more important as a scorer, as a spacing weapon, and now, increasingly, as a defender. His defensive effort has legitimately stepped up over this January stretch. Randle will draw bodies. Rudy will get his easy looks and offensive boards. But Naz is the guy who can bend a defense with quick threes and inside-out scoring, especially against lineups where San Antonio’s secondary defenders are vulnerable.
#6: Keep your emotions in check.
These teams got chippy last weekend. Rudy picked up the flagrant that pushed him over the limit and got him suspended. That’s not just a “whoops.” That’s a real consequence. Now you’re heading into a high-stakes rematch, coming off a frustrating loss where the refs already turned one quarter into a whistle-fest, and emotions could be running hot. Minnesota cannot get baited. They cannot give away free throws, techs, or foul trouble minutes. And they certainly do not need Gobert sniffing another flagrant situation. Play tough. Play physical. Play smart.
Here’s the truth: this is the kind of game that tells you whether Minnesota’s January reinvention is real, or whether it’s just a hot stretch that collapses the second the margin tightens.
Because yeah, it’s hard to see the Wolves stealing a road back-to-back against a team as talented as San Antonio without Anthony Edwards. That’s just math. That’s just reality. But this is also the NBA, where weird stuff happens every night and the team with the sharper edge wins more games than the team with the prettier roster.
Minnesota already proved last week they can come back from the dead against these guys — down 19, staring at the abyss, and somehow winning 104–103 by executing like a real contender. That wasn’t luck. That was poise. That was grown-up basketball. That was Julius Randle bodying Wembanyama and Ant hitting another “I own this moment” shot.
Now they have to do it again, on the road, with less margin, more fatigue, and a whole lot more pressure.
If they hit free throws. If they move the ball. If they win the non-Wemby minutes. If they don’t melt down emotionally. If Naz gives them juice. If Julius balances bully ball with facilitation instead of turning into a black hole…
They can absolutely punch San Antonio in the mouth and make them prove they can take it.
And if the Wolves somehow pull this off without Ant?
That’s not just a win.
That’s a statement about who they are — and who they’re becoming.
