Wembanyama erupts for 39 points, Spurs take 2-1 series lead

Victor Wembanyama turned Game 3 into a statement, scoring 39 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking five shots as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-108 at Target Center and seized a 2-1 lead in the second-round series. In a matchup that had been split 1-1, Wembanyama did far more than fill the box score. He bent the game toward San Antonio with his length, mobility and scoring touch, forcing Minnesota to spend the night reacting to one player instead of controlling the flow itself.

The decisive stretch came in the fourth quarter, when Wembanyama scored 16 of his 39 points and finished the game 13-of-18 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. He did it in just his seventh career playoff game. That combination of efficiency and volume put him in rare company: NBA.com said he became only the fourth player in league history to record at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a playoff game, joining Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was also the only player to reach that line while shooting at least 70% from the field, and the last to do it before him was Shaq on May 6, 2001.

San Antonio’s win also changed the tactical shape of the series. Minnesota had already seen Wembanyama alter its approach in Game 1, and his rim protection again made the paint feel crowded and unstable. Every Timberwolves drive carried extra risk, every finish around the rim came with doubt, and the Spurs were able to turn that defensive disruption into transition chances and cleaner half-court possessions at the other end. For Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch, the problem is no longer simply containing a scorer. It is solving a defender who can erase shots and then punish the other side immediately.

The Spurs entered the series trailing after Minnesota’s 104-102 win in Game 1, then answered with a 133-95 blowout in Game 2 before Wembanyama’s Game 3 takeover delivered control of the bracket. Game 4 is set for Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. CDT in Minneapolis, with the series now carrying the feel of something larger than one round. For San Antonio, this is no longer just a promising rebuild. Wembanyama’s playoff surge has made the Spurs look like a team whose future may already be arriving.