Spurs most to blame after letting Timberwolves steal Game 1 at home

Heading into the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, everything looked incredible for the San Antonio Spurs as far as their chances of making it to the Western Conference Finals go. After all, the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked out a Denver Nuggets team that’s proven to be trouble for the Spurs in the regular season, and they are extremely shorthanded when they did.

But on Monday night in Game 1, the Timberwolves got Anthony Edwards back from injury. Edwards returned to action just nine days after suffering a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise, and while he wasn’t healthy enough yet to start, he was in a good enough condition to put up 18 points in 25 minutes, overcoming some late-game miscues as Minnesota took a 104-102 win over San Antonio.

The Spurs, like in Round 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers, have now lost homecourt advantage against the Timberwolves. This time, however, they are up against a playoff-tested team all while they’re learning to navigate playoff adversity on the fly.

It’s important to note that there is a long way to go in the series and the last thing the Spurs want to do is lose their composure. But the time for taking accountability is now, and these players, in particular, have to be better from here on out.

Victor Wembanyama vows to be better in Game 2

Victor Wembanyama was a menace defensively in Game 1; in fact, he set the record for most blocks in a single playoff game with 12, as the Timberwolves tried to attack the basket over and over again, much to the delight of the blocks column alongside Wembanyama’s name.

Wembanyama was named the DPOY this season for a reason, as he is the ultimate rim deterrent in today’s NBA. But basketball is played on both ends of the floor, and as the Spurs’ best player, he has the responsibility to lead the team’s offense as well.

However, when the Spurs needed him the most, he couldn’t come through — scoring just five points on 2-8 shooting in the second half as San Antonio lost control of the game.

Outside of an emphatic dunk to cut the Timberwolves’ lead in the clutch, Wembanyama was nowhere to be found on offense. Even on the final possession, Wembanyama chose to defer to his teammates; after hauling in the rebound, he didn’t even assert himself into the play, instead just watching as Julian Champagnie hoisted a game-winner attempt from deep which fell short.

Wembanyama finished with just 11 points on 5-17 shooting from the field, and the Timberwolves deserve credit for hounding the Spurs star to this degree.

Considering how Wembanyama has the speed advantage on Rudy Gobert, the Spurs star might be better off attacking the paint. He did settle for far too many difficult perimeter shots in Game 1, and he went blank on all eight of his three-point attempts.

At the very least, Wembanyama knows that it’s part of his responsibility as a superstar to get it done for his team. He vowed during his postgame presser that he’ll be better in Game 2. And if they don’t want to go down 2-0 to this experienced Timberwolves team filled with playoff risers, he better show up on both ends of the floor.

De’Aaron Fox has to assert himself as the Spurs’ leader on offense

De’Aaron Fox, much like Wembanyana, had himself a quiet night, finishing with just 10 points on 5-14 shooting from the field (0-4 from deep). This is far from a good performance for Fox, who found himself locked up in the Jaden McDaniels penitentiary.

But there was also an air of passiveness from Fox, at least through the first three quarters. He went 1-7 from the field through the first three periods, and the Spurs team deserves plenty of credit for keeping up with the Timberwolves and even leading for stretches despite Fox’s substandard play.

It helped that Fox was one of their reliable weapons in crunch time, as he scored eight in the fourth, including a few huge baskets, to give the Spurs a chance to win the game in the end. But Fox cannot wait until the game is hanging in the balance for him to leave his imprint.

San Antonio’s shooting should regress to the mean

The Spurs shot 10-36 from beyond the arc in Game 1, and it was always going to be difficult to overcome that poor of a shooting night. It helped that their defense, especially in the paint, was elite, but being the home team means that they’re expected to shoot the ball much better than they did on Monday.

San Antonio’s three-point shooting should regress to the mean in Game 2 (they shot around 36 percent from deep in the regular season), and that should be a key for them in their quest to even up the series.

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