Donte DiVincenzo scored a season-high 26 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 112-110 in a wild Western Conference clash in Minneapolis on Sunday.
The game was tied heading to the fourth quarter after the Spurs rallied from a 16-point deficit early in the third period.
Minnesota went ahead 110-105 after a pair of free throws by Rudy Gobert with 2:13 remaining. The Spurs responded with a jumper from Devin Vassell with 1:50 left, and Gobert split two free throws with 58 seconds to play.
Wembanyama brought San Antonio to within two points on a jarring, left-handed dunk with 45.2 seconds left. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards then missed a short floater with 27 seconds remaining and, after a foul called on Gobert, Wembanyama made just one of two free throws.
DiVincenzo returned the favor, missing the first of two free throws with 12.8 seconds to play, keeping the game within two points. After a time out, San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan missed a desperation 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left, allowing Minnesota to escape with the victory.
Gobert added 17 points and 15 rebounds as the Timberwolves won their third straight game. Julius Randle had 16 points, Edwards scored 14 on 6 of 20 shooting from the floor, Jaden McDaniels hit for 12 and Naz Reid scored 11 for Minnesota.
Wembanyama rang up 34 points to lead all scorers. Harrison Barnes added 24 for San Antonio, Vassell hit for 22 points, Keldon Johnson tallied 13 and Chris Paul had 14 assists and four steals.
The start of the game was delayed for an hour because of issues with the court surface. Once things got started, the Spurs owned the first quarter, sprinting to a 12-point lead before settling for a 33-25 advantage after one period.
The Timberwolves forged a 13-0 run to open the second period and took a 38-33 lead when Josh Minott poured in a 3-pointer with 8:34 left before halftime. Minnesota expanded its advantage to 10 points on Edwards’ driving layup with 3:37 left, and carried a 57-45 advantage to the break behind DiVincenzo’s 15 points.
Barnes led the Spurs with 15 points while Wembanyama had 10 in half.
