Stephon Castle landed on the Spurs’ injury report with a migraine ahead of San Antonio’s Halloween matchup with the Timberwolves, while Minnesota listed Rudy Gobert as questionable because of back spasms on the second night of a back-to-back. Outside of those two names, the reports were clean.
For San Antonio, Castle is joined by Tobias Harris, who is out with a left calf issue, and Jayden Quaintance, who remains out with a right knee injury. Minnesota’s list includes Anthony Edwards, who is out with a right knee injury, and Donte DiVincenzo, who is out with a right Achilles injury.
The Timberwolves come in at 4-2 after Friday night’s 127-101 win over the Clippers. The Spurs, meanwhile, are 3-2 and trying to keep a three-game winning streak rolling against a Minnesota team that is trying to hold steady until Edwards returns. The source notes that Edwards is expected to miss up to two months.
That sets up another chapter in what the source calls my favorite rivalry, though this one comes without one of the league’s most electric talents. Edwards’ absence removes a huge piece from Minnesota’s attack, but it doesn’t make the Wolves harmless.
San Antonio’s first task is dealing with Minnesota’s perimeter barrage. Chris Finch may not have his best player available, but he still has one of the sharper basketball minds in the league, and the Timberwolves are dangerous from deep. They’re hitting 39.2% of their threes, which ranks second in the NBA.
The Spurs can’t afford another slow start, either. That has been a recurring issue, and it nearly cost them against the Mavericks, when they were still in a three-point game heading into the fourth quarter despite the absences of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. Mitch Johnson has gotten more out of this group than many expected, but the team is still sorting itself out.
The starting lineup has also been uneven. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama have been highly efficient, with Wembanyama’s rough opener against Oklahoma City standing out as the exception. The other three starters have not been as steady, and Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have all seen their true-shooting numbers dip.
Even without Edwards, this is the kind of test San Antonio needs. The Spurs’ last three opponents weren’t especially strong, and Minnesota should offer a better read on where this team really stands.
Still, the biggest swing factor may be Gobert’s status. If he sits, that’s two starters down for the Timberwolves, and that’s a tough hole for any team to climb out of.
In Other News...
Dylan Harper Is Giving Spurs Fans A New 2025 Draft Argument
Dylan Harper is already forcing a different kind of conversation around the Spurs 2025 draft class. The second pick in that draft is opening his sophomore season as a starter and logging more than 30 minutes a night, a sign that San Antonio is trusting him with a heavy role far earlier than most young guards get in this league.
Harpers rise also gives Spurs fans a fresh way to measure the draft against the top selection, Cooper Flagg. Flagg may still carry the bigger national spotlight, but Harpers path is tied directly to a team with real championship ambitions and a playoff runway that could make his impact feel immediate. For a Spurs team chasing bigger goals this season, that kind of development is exactly why his early stretch matters so much. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Is Giving Spurs Fans A New Kawhi Debate
Stephon Castles breakout has given Spurs fans a familiar kind of conversation, the sort that starts with numbers and quickly turns into a bigger debate about what a young wing can become. Early in the 2026-27 season, Castle has been doing a little of everything for San Antonio, averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals while looking far more advanced offensively than most players his age.
The comparison naturally leads back to Kawhi Leonard, whose third-season production now serves as the old benchmark for a new Spurs hopeful. Castles role and development path are different, and that matters, but the early signs are enough to make people wonder whether this is just a hot start or the beginning of something much bigger. He still has plenty of time to answer that question, which is what makes the discussion around him so compelling right now. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas DPOY Path Just Got A Lot Clearer For Spurs Fans
Victor Wembanyamas defensive case is already looking sturdy, and the early numbers only sharpen it. Through five games, he is averaging 3.8 blocks per game, matching his career-best, while the Spurs have been far better on that end of the floor when he is on it. For a team trying to build real momentum, that kind of impact is hard to ignore, especially when it shows up so quickly and so consistently.
Chet Holmgrens expected absence for 8-10 weeks could also reshape the race for end-of-season honors, removing one of the leagues top defensive challengers from the conversation for a stretch. With San Antonios defense projected to keep improving, Wembanyama suddenly has a clearer path to a second straight Defensive Player of the Year award, even if the season is still young and the standings are far from settled. [Read more 🡒]