Despite having to weather a number of runs by the high-powered Minnesota Timberwolves offense and bracing through the absence of a sick coach Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs’ immensely impressive and layered performance on Nov. 2 was enough to win 113-103.
Keldon Johnson led the way for much of the evening, with 29 minutes and 25 points off the bench along with eight rebounds and two steals. He displayed passion and intensity on and off the court, constantly shouting and moving around the floor to fire up his teammates.
“My teammates and coaches just put me in good spots to be aggressive and make the right play,” Johnson said. “That’s all I can ask for at the end of the day, is to be put in the right situations so that I can make plays for my team.”
Chris Paul’s performance had a massive impact on the Spurs as well, his decades of experience on full display. He had 15 points and 13 assists, while also filling the Popovich void by helping acting head coach Mitch Johnson to coach the team both on the court and the sideline. One sample of his amazing performance came in the second quarter when the Timberwolves were up by five. Paul proceeded to dish out three consecutive assists to Jeremy Sochan to tie the game, before drilling a three-pointer to take the lead.
“I keep telling Jeremy [Sochan] he’s probably gonna get tired of me talking to him all game long,” Paul said. “But I feel like I know a little bit about what works. It’s a lot … it’s hard to be good, it’s really hard to win, so there’s gonna be a lot asked of all of us.”
Beyond those two critical stat leaders, Victor Wembanyama put forth a typical performance of serving as a constant looming threat for the opposing team to be distracted by. Rudy Gobert, despite being nearly as tall as Wembanyama and a four-time defensive player of the year, could do little to contain Wembanyama’s athleticism. This was demonstrated early in the first quarter when Wembanyama dribbled circles around Gobert and capped it off with a step back three-pointer.
“We’ve been facing new difficulties. Teams take us more seriously. … We’ve been facing different types of defenses,” Wembanyama said. “My teammates have also impressed me in the way they’ve played, I think about Julian [Champagnie] and Jeremy. These are the things that surprised me, new difficulties and even bigger progression from my teammates.”
The subtle team basketball of the Spurs made a major difference. With solid all-around performances from players like Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie and Zach Collins — as well as lockdown defensive performances from Stephon Castle and Wembanyama — the Spurs hit on too many fronts for the Timberwolves to withstand. According to Mitch Johnson, the Spurs’ early season experience playing physical teams like the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder may have contributed to their cohesive style of play.
“We raised our level and maintained it,” Johnson said. “This is a team with high aspirations in Minnesota, and they’re trying to set a tone early in the season. … We knew when they came out maybe a little tired or sluggish. … They were gonna still come back and make a couple runs at us. I think we did a good job of just trying to weather the storm there.”
