'I told them we just got punked': The Wolves were dominated by the Spurs in Game 2

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It felt like a season-long search for identity and purpose had culminated in a hellacious Game 1 victory over the 62-win Spurs that put Minnesota in control of this second-round series. What they wanted to do on Wednesday night was keep the pressure on a young team that has never been here before, putting them in a torture chamber against a battle-tested group that knows what it takes. Anthony Edwards had a different interpretation of the vibes in the aftermath of a 133-95 wipeout at the hands of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs that evened the series. “I told the guys after the first game, the natural tendency for teams that steal the first game, the away team, they get blown out in Game 2, so we can’t come out cool,” he said. “We came out cool, and what happened? We got blown out.” Game 3 is on Friday in Minnesota. All the edge and tenacity the Wolves showed in their inspiring Game 1 win was buried underneath a wet blanket of missed shots and turnovers on Wednesday. They shot 29 percent from the field, turned the ball over 11 times and scored just 35 points in the first half, gift-wrapping a 25-point lead for the Spurs that would eventually grow to as many as 47. Randle turned the ball over five times, Edwards and Rudy Gobert had four giveaways each, and the Wolves were out-rebounded 55-43 and outscored in transition 29-5 in their most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history. “I told them we just got punked,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. The Wolves accomplished what they came to do in San Antonio, earning a split to wrestle homecourt advantage away. But this is exactly the kind of game they did not want after such a spirited performance to open the series. They were throttled from start to finish, giving a young and inexperienced Spurs team plenty of confidence that Monday’s loss was nothing more than a fluke. After going 5 of 17 from the field in the opener, Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting with 15 rebounds in Game 2. Stephon Castle scored 21 points and De’Aaron Fox bounced back from a rough Game 1 to score 16. If the Wolves had a chance to take San Antonio’s spirit with another victory in Game 2, they squandered it with a woeful performance. Now the Spurs will head to Minneapolis with all the belief in the world. They set the rules of engagement on Wednesday night. They beat the Wolves to every loose ball and ran them ragged in transition. They stifled Edwards and frustrated Randle and Jaden McDaniels. They looked like the heavy favorite they were when the series began. Julian Champagnie, who missed a potential game-winning 3 in Game 1, was strutting all over the court while hitting 4 of 6 treys in Game 2. Castle was throwing his weight around, tangling with Bones Hyland and getting McDaniels in foul trouble, while going 9 of 9 from the free-throw line. Rookie Carter Bryant returned from injury to inject even more physicality into a series already overflowing with it. Wembanyama, who went 0 of 8 from deep in Game 1, thrust both fists in the air after hitting his second 3 on Wednesday, flexing toward the bench on his way back down the court. “We got beat in every way possible,” Randle said. “It’s simple as that. There’s really not much to say off a game like this. They out-hustled us, out-physicaled us, out-executed, played better defensively, more energy.” Randle now has 10 turnovers in the two games against the Spurs’ active defenders. He often struggles against physical wings who double quickly and force him to make contested passes, but he simply has to be better for the Wolves to have a chance in this series. He was 4 of 10 for 12 points and only five rebounds on Wednesday night. “I think I’m just getting the ball in bad spots and getting trapped in bad areas,” Randle said. “I’ve got to get better positioning and from there I’ll able to playmake a little better.” The Timberwolves expected the Spurs to throw a punch, but this was less about the power of their opponent and more about their own ineptitude. San Antonio played very well as the game progressed, but in the early going made so many of the mistakes young teams make. Castle turned it over on a fast break. Devin Vassell jacked ill-advised 3s. Keldon Johnson biffed reckless drives to the basket. But Minnesota was powerless to take advantage of the youthful indiscretions. The Wolves settled for 3s even when Wembanyama was on the bench and Luke Kornet was sitting in the middle waiting to be attacked. Terrence Shannon Jr., so explosive in the previous two playoff games, went to the rim without a plan and was 4-of-12, including 0-of-4 from 3. Conley looked every bit his 38 years old, overwhelmed by the Spurs’ active perimeter defenders. Edwards scored 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, missed four of his five 3s and struggled mightily with the Spurs’ ultra-aggressive defense that trapped him as soon as he crossed the half-court line. He has become adept at moving the ball quickly when he faces double teams, but was much slower to react in Game 2. “They were playing crazy, right?” Edwards said. “I think we’ve got to watch film on it, find the holes in it. We just didn’t make enough shots to get them out of it. I think we struggled to make shots tonight. They were content with doing it the entire night.” The Wolves went 2 of 15 from 3 and had nearly as many turnovers (11) as made shots (14) in the first half. “We’ve got to go somewhere. We are kind of dribbling and going nowhere,” Finch said. “We’ve got to be able to punch gaps and play downhill. That’s what we like to do, and that’s when we’re at our best.” McDaniels was a bright spot, scoring 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four assists and one block. The Wolves were outscored by six points in the 19:35 he was on the court, practically a miracle in a game they lost by 38. But he was limited by fouls again, proving just how needed he is on both ends. Minnesota was not playing well in the second quarter but was only down 30-22 when McDaniels had to go to the bench with his third foul. San Antonio outscored the Wolves 28-13 the rest of the way to grab control of the game. “You need Jaden on the floor at all times, whenever he’s available,” Edwards said. “Him being off the court is going to hurt us every time. He knows it, we know it. The whole gym knows it. Their team knows it. When he gets in foul trouble, they get happy.” Ayo Dosunmu returned after missing Game 6 against Denver and Game 1 against the Spurs with a bothersome calf injury that has lingered for several weeks. All the force he played with in that 43-point Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets was nowhere to be found on Wednesday. He started the game playing gingerly, perhaps testing the calf to see what he could do with it, but did not play in the second half because of right heel pain. He was scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 10:29 before leaving the game. Over the last three years, the Wolves have built a reputation for resilience, for responding with force after glaring setbacks. They will lean into that history as they prepare for Game 3. Just like there was no reason to hang a banner after beating the Spurs in Game 1, there was no panic in their eyes after getting blasted in Game 2. You may think losing by such a wide margin shows that this is a team that is not to be taken seriously. But the Wolves can point to their own 42-point victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals last season as proof that one bad night can be overcome. They have won their last three playoff series that started 1-1, including their convincing 4-2 win over Denver in the last round. “We’ve just been together so long,” Edwards said. “We know each other. We know what we gotta do.” The good news is the series now shifts back to Target Center, where a raucous crowd will no doubt be waiting for them Friday night. The building was deafening in their three victories there over the Nuggets, and Edwards said they will need it even louder to help them conquer the Spurs. “I’m ready to get back in front of the fans, in front of the home crowd,” Edwards said. “Seeing these (Spurs) fans, they talking crazy to us. I hope our fans talk crazy to them, too.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms