San Antonio Spurs Cruise Past Timberwolves; Start The Season 3-1

The San Antonio Spurs have defied the odds and have begun the season 3-1 with two huge wins over strong playoff-contending teams. San Antonio defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-106 to pull off the upset despite being a +350 dog on the money line. Devin Vassell finished with his best performance of the season thus far putting up 23 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns also finished with a monster performance of 27 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.

A Hot Start For San Antonio

The Spurs appeared to have found their groove right out of the gate. San Antonio finished the first quarter with nearly 40 points, coming out on fire. Jeremy Sochan had his biggest night of the young season, putting up 14 points and finishing multiple alley-oops finishing. He connected on all seven of his attempts from inside the perimeter, only missing from beyond the arc. This was a much-needed showing for the city of San Antonio. Sochan has had many critics to this point. Through the first three games, his season-high had been only four points.

It was apparent the Spurs were genuinely having fun on the court with plenty of smiles, and they had plenty of reason to by halftime, the Spurs outrebounded the Timberwolves 30-27, including 7-6 on the offensive ends. One of the greatest contributors to the Spurs’ offensive output was that the Timberwolves came out flat defensively, allowing a 67-point first half. What’s more, they allowed San Antonio to connect on 52 percent of their shots.

The San Antonio bench put up a solid performance in this outing. Isaiah Roby in particular stood out. He gave the Spurs a nice push off the bench, putting up two quick three-pointers out of the gate.  and providing solid defense on the other end of the court, coming up with two early steals as well. The Spurs took a 10-point lead into the half, 67-57.

Vassell and Johnson Finish Strong

San Antonio was able to grow the lead coming out of the locker rooms, taking their advantage as high as 35 points. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have defined themselves as the clear leaders of this young team already this season, and it was felt in the final frames. Vassell scored 16 points in the last 24 minutes to pace the Spurs. Johnson contributed nine more of his own, finishing the game with 18 points. He also tallied three rebounds and four assists.

So far, Vassell and Johnson are each averaging nearly 20 points per game in 2022. Without the guidance of veterans Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, this is a very welcome sight for Spurs fans.

Up Next For The San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio (3-1) will look to extend their three-game winning streak on Wednesday in Target Arena in the second game of a back-to-back series against the T-Wolves. We can only see if the Spurs can go into Game 2 with the same intensity as tonight. Just one more game against the Chicago Bulls on this road trip, and San Antonio is right back in the AT&T Center on Sunday where they’ll face the Timberwolves again to finish off the three-game series for the season.