Edwards guides the Timberwolves
past the Spurs 114-109 to tie the series after Wembanyama's ejection
[May 11, 2026]
By DAVE CAMPBELL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 36 points in the
fourth quarter to help the Minnesota Timberwolves even their
second-round NBA playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs with a
114-109 victory, following the stunning ejection of star Victor
Wembanyama early in the second quarter of Game 4 on Sunday.
Naz Reid took the fateful elbow to the neck from a frustrated
Wembanyama and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to help the
Timberwolves finish strong after some shaky stretches.
“Pain is weakness in the body,” Reid said. “That’s it.”
Edwards hit a 27-footer to bring the Wolves within 94-91, turning to
shout at the crowd for some help down the stretch as the Spurs. His
catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing with 5:12 left put them up
98-97, their first lead since midway through the third quarter.
Then the big men went to work without Wembanyama patrolling the
paint. Rudy Gobert, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds, converted a
three-point play with 3:02 left off a high-low feed from Reid and
later threw down a dunk for a 107-101 lead with 1:56 to go after a
slick pass from Julius Randle.
Reid’s follow shot with 40 seconds left gave the Wolves a
seven-point lead, before Dylan Harper had a rebound, a drawn foul, a
steal, and two free throws to help the Spurs pull within three.
After managing to corral a full-court baseball toss from inbound
passer Jaden McDaniels as De'Aaron Fox undercut his leaping catch
and caused a loose ball, Ayo Dosunmu drew a foul and sank two free
throws with 9.8 seconds left to put the game out of reach and tie
the series at two games apiece.
San Antonio hosts Game 5 on Tuesday, with Wembanyama’s status to be
determined by the league following the Flagrant 2 foul call and
automatic ejection he was levied for the excessive contact to Reid.
Harper and Fox each scored 24 points and Stephon Castle added 20 as
the Spurs guards unflinchingly took the baton from their 7-foot-4
superstar and turned the rest of the night into a mid-range clinic
with an array of pull-up jumpers in and around the paint.
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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reacts after scoring
against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of Game 4 of an
NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Sunday,
May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“Just trying to be what the team needed me to be,”
said Harper, the second overall pick in the NBA draft last year. “I
think I did OK. Obviously the main goal is to win. We didn't get
that done.”
The crowd at Target Center went wild when Wembanyama walked off the
floor with Minnesota leading by two, but the Wolves never fully took
advantage of the gift created by his absence. They've long had a
tendency of losing their edge, particularly defensively, when an
opponent's star player is missing.
“When every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free.
They get more shots, more confident,” Edwards said. “So I think it
was a lot harder on us.”
After committing six turnovers in a 20-point third quarter, the
Wolves found themselves in another eight-point hole early in the
fourth following Fox's 3-pointer before delivering another clutch
finish.
“We have a resilient group of guys. No matter the circumstances, we
are going to keep fighting and give everything we have and keep
trusting one another,” Gobert said. “Just making the right play.
That’s who we are. We might not be always consistent with that, but
I feel like when it matters, we raise our level.”
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