San Antonio Spurs advanced to the brink of the conference finals with a decisive 126-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. The key to the Spurs' victory was Victor Wembanyama, who bounced back from his previous game's controversial ejection by scoring 27 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, along with five assists and three blocks.

Wembanyama, who was ejected from the previous game for an elbow to Naz Reid's face, returned in stunning form. In the first quarter alone, he scored an unbelievable 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, becoming only the third player in the past 30 years, after LeBron James and Nikola Jokić, to achieve such a feat in the first quarter of a playoff game.

The Spurs built a 18-point lead in the first half, largely due to Wembanyama's stellar performance. However, the Timberwolves managed to cut the deficit to a tie at 61-61 with a 14-2 run early in the third quarter. San Antonio responded with a 9-0 run and extended their lead to 98-71 by the end of the third quarter.

The Timberwolves struggled offensively, with Julius Randle shooting inefficiently, scoring 17 points on 17 attempts and recording only one assist. Anthony Edwards was limited to 20 points.