The San Antonio Spurs closed out the first half of their season in style, cruising to a 119-101 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. That victory bumped their record to an impressive 28-13-quite the leap from where they stood at this point last season, when they were sitting at 19-22. It’s a sign of real growth for this young squad, but the road ahead doesn’t get any easier.
Next up: the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that’s already had the Spurs’ number twice this season. Most recently, the Wolves pulled off a gritty 104-103 comeback win in Minneapolis, erasing a 19-point deficit by locking in defensively and getting physical-especially in the fourth quarter.
That stretch was defined by Julius Randle’s bruising play, as he muscled Victor Wembanyama out of rhythm and disrupted the Spurs’ offensive flow. It was a reminder that in the Western Conference, finesse only gets you so far-sometimes you’ve got to push back.
That’s the challenge for San Antonio tonight: how do they respond to that physicality? Adjustments will be key.
Ball movement needs to be sharper, and the Spurs may have to lean into their own physicality-setting hard screens, attacking mismatches, and forcing Minnesota to react rather than dictate. One potential pressure point?
Rudy Gobert. In their last meeting, Wembanyama essentially played him off the floor.
The Spurs would love to force the Timberwolves to bring Gobert back into the mix, where his free throw struggles could become a liability.
This is the third and final regular-season meeting between these two teams, and with the Timberwolves already holding a 2-0 edge, the Spurs will be motivated to avoid the sweep. More importantly, a win here would help San Antonio maintain its position in the tight Western Conference standings-every game matters now.
As for the injury report, Stephon Castle is listed as questionable due to an undisclosed illness. If he’s able to suit up, he could be a key factor in trying to slow down Anthony Edwards, who’s back in the lineup after missing time with a foot injury.
Devin Vassell remains out, and his absence continues to be felt on both ends of the floor. While there’s hope he’ll return soon, Monday’s MLK Day game against the Jazz might be a stretch.
One thing’s for sure-if Jeremy Sochan brings the same edge he showed last time out, the Spurs won’t back down from the fight. In that last matchup, Sochan didn’t just hold his ground against Randle-he took it to him. If San Antonio can channel that energy across the board, they’ve got a real shot to flip the script tonight.