San Antonio Spurs 121, Minnesota Timberwolves 111: Wembanyama's 43 carries the Spurs

Victor Wembanyama scored 43 points and the San Antonio Spurs won the second half by 11 to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-111 on Saturday at Frost Bank Center. Minnesota led by one at the break, then lost the third and fourth quarters, the rebounding battle and the paint.

The Wolves drop to 4-3. The Spurs move to 4-2.

How it was won

San Antonio opened with a 34-28 first quarter. Minnesota answered with its best stretch of the night, a 33-26 second quarter that put it ahead 61-60 at halftime. The Wolves' largest lead was 7.

The game turned in the third. The Spurs scored 33 to Minnesota's 27 and carried a 93-88 lead into the fourth, then closed it 28-23. Their largest lead was 13.

Wembanyama was the difference. He finished with 43 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, going 3-of-8 from three. Dylan Harper added 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and De'Aaron Fox had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Three Spurs combined for 90 of their 121.

The team numbers tell the same story. San Antonio shot 49 percent (43-of-87) to Minnesota's 43 percent (40-of-93). The Spurs outrebounded the Wolves 49-38 and outscored them 60-52 in the paint. They also got to the line more, making 25 of 31 free throws to Minnesota's 22 of 26.

The three-point line did not rescue the Wolves. They made 9 of 33, a shade over 27 percent, while San Antonio made 10 of 27. Minnesota did win the turnover count, 14 to 16, but it was not enough to offset the gap on the glass.

Ayo Dosunmu led Minnesota with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, hitting 2 of 5 from three. Jaden McDaniels scored 19 with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Each of the three made two threes. The Wolves had 23 assists to the Spurs' 24.

Against the number

The market had San Antonio as a 12.5-point favorite at the close, and the 10-point margin meant Minnesota covered by 2.5. Readers who backed the Wolves on the spread were never in serious trouble until the Spurs pushed their lead to 13; the final minutes brought it back inside the number.

The closing total was 230.5, and the teams combined for 232, so the over landed by a point and a half. The 61-60 first half had it on pace early, and the fourth quarter's 51 combined points got it there.

On the moneyline, Minnesota closed at +425 and San Antonio at -575. The favorite won outright, as that price suggested it usually would. Full closing odds and line movement are on the game page.

For context, the Wolves have now lost two of their last three, but this was their first double-digit defeat of the season. Their other losses came by 5 against Golden State and by 2 at Cleveland.

What's next

Minnesota returns home to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, November 2. The game is on NBA League Pass, DAZN MIN, MyMi and the Bucks App. The Wolves are 2-1 at home so far, with wins over Toronto and the Clippers and the loss to Golden State.

The Spurs' next game was not part of the schedule information available to us at publication. We will add their odds to the board once it is confirmed.

The questions for Monday are the ones this game raised: whether Minnesota can hold its own on the boards after giving up 49 rebounds, and whether it can find more than nine threes on 33 attempts.