Spurs rout Timberwolves 139-109, advance to Western Conference finals

San Antonio did more than close out Minnesota. The Spurs raced past the Timberwolves 139-109 on Friday night, wrapped up the Western Conference semifinals in six games and punched their first trip to the Western Conference finals since 2017, a leap that made this look like a team built for more than a surprise run.

Stephon Castle powered the finish with 32 points and 11 rebounds, while De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists as San Antonio’s pace and backcourt pressure repeatedly cracked Minnesota’s defense. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 24 points, but Minnesota never found a lasting answer for the Spurs’ speed, shot-making and ability to turn misses into momentum. The victory gave San Antonio a 4-2 series win and sent it on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The decisive Game 6 fit the pattern San Antonio established earlier in the matchup. The Spurs had already delivered Minnesota its worst postseason loss in franchise history with a 133-95 rout in Game 2, a result that stood out even in a series that ultimately tilted heavily toward San Antonio. That blowout was the Spurs’ highest-scoring playoff game since a 145-105 clincher over Denver on May 4, 1983, and it featured 16 made 3-pointers, tied for the most in a playoff game in franchise history, plus 34 transition points, the team’s second-most in a playoff game since that statistic has been tracked by ESPN.

Victor Wembanyama was central to the shift in the series. He returned to the starting lineup two days after his ejection in Game 5 and had already helped spark the Spurs’ Game 5 win that gave them a 3-2 lead. In Game 2, Wembanyama and Fox combined for 35 points after totaling 21 in Game 1, an illustration of how San Antonio adjusted after the opening game and forced Minnesota into uncomfortable rotations and a faster tempo.

The series left little doubt about what San Antonio proved: this was not just a promising team surviving a round. The Spurs repeatedly controlled the terms of the game, stretched Minnesota with pace, and produced enough high-end scoring to overwhelm one of the West’s more physical defenses. The next test comes against the defending champion Thunder, but the path to this point suggested San Antonio has already made a real step from intriguing to dangerous.