Game Preview #66 – Timberwolves vs. Spurs

Minnesota looks to add to its four-game winning streak when the Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs roll into Target Center. Can the Wolves take care of business in this Sunday Night Showdown as they look to improve the standing in the Western Conference playoff race?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs
Date: March 9th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network North/KARE 11
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

Wolves Look to Close Out Six-Game Stretch Strong Against San Antonio

Well, here we are. The Timberwolves have done exactly what they needed to do over the pastweek—win games they’re supposed to win. After rattling off four straight victories, including a scrappy two-point escape in Miami, they now have a chance to finish this six-game stretch at 5-1 when they return home to face the Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs on Sunday night.

This game against San Antonio is a classic “business trip” game—one where you show up, take care of business, and don’t let your opponent get any funny ideas about sticking around past halftime. But as we’ve learned all too many times this season, the Wolves have a habit of playing with their food.

This is a team that will go toe-to-toe with the Nuggets one night and then look completely lost against a lottery-bound Raptors squad the next. We’ve seen them stumble against teams they should beat, let double-digit leads evaporate in the blink of an eye, and turn what should be routine wins into chaotic coin flips in the final minutes.

So while this is a game the Wolves should win comfortably, that only happens if they actually bring the right mentality.

Where the Wolves Stand in the Playoff Race

As it stands, Minnesota remains stuck in a four-way logjam with the Warriors, Kings, and Clippers, all fighting to secure at least the No. 6 seed and avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. Thanks to Golden State’s surge since acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Wolves have had a tough time leapfrogging them in the standings, but they’re still within striking distance.

The difference between the No. 6 seed and No. 7 seed?

A guaranteed playoff spot vs. potentially having your entire season come down to one bad shooting night in the play-in.

The Wolves can’t afford to slip up against teams like San Antonio. They’ve already given away enough games this year—they need to keep stacking wins and take advantage of their favorable schedule before things tighten up in the final stretch.

What Went Right (and Wrong) in Miami

The Wolves shouldn’t have needed last-second heroics to beat the Heat, but here we are. What should have been a comfortable 10-15 point win turned into an unnecessarily stressful fourth quarter, thanks to some careless turnovers, bad shot selection, and missed free throws.

At one point in the third quarter, Miami rattled off eight straight points without the ball even crossing halfcourt. That’s an actual thing that happened. Just one catastrophic sequence of dumb turnovers and sloppy execution.

The good news? The Wolves still found a way to win. They ramped up their defense in crunch time, Anthony Edwards delivered in the clutch, and despite their mistakes, they showed the resilience to grind out a tough road victory.

Now, they need to apply those lessons against a San Antonio team that—while not remotely on their level talent-wise—still has a star who can torch them if they’re not careful.

Keys to the Game Against San Antonio

1. Attack the Paint Without Wemby

The biggest headline in this matchup is the absence of Victor Wembanyama, who is sidelined with a blood clot. His presence alone would have changed this game entirely—Minnesota has struggled at times against teams with elite rim protection, and Wemby is basically a human cheat code when it comes to contesting shots.

With Wemby out, the Wolves need to relentlessly attack the paint.

• Naz Reid and Julius Randle should dominate down low
• Anthony Edwards should be living at the rim
• Minnesota needs to win the rebounding battle decisively

If the Wolves are settling for threes instead of exploiting San Antonio’s size disadvantage, that’s a bad sign.

2. Take Care of the Ball (Seriously, Just Do It)

Minnesota gift-wrapped multiple scoring runs to Miami through turnovers and sloppy play. The Spurs may be a lottery team, but they’re young, athletic, and love to push the tempo. If the Wolves get lazy and start handing them transition opportunities, they’re going to let San Antonio stick around longer than they should.

• Julius Randle has to clean up his passing (he had multiple careless turnovers against Miami).
• Anthony Edwards can’t get tunnel vision in crunch time.
• Mike Conley needs to be the steady hand he’s been all season.

Play with purpose, make the right reads, and don’t give the Spurs free points off self-inflicted mistakes.

3. Make Sure De’Aaron Fox Doesn’t Go Nuclear

The Spurs’ biggest weapon right now is De’Aaron Fox, who was brought in at the deadline to be the backcourt partner to Wemby. Now, with Wemby out, Fox has had to take over full superstar duties.

The bad news? Fox has historically loved playing against Minnesota and has gone nuclear against them multiple times when he was in Sacramento.

The good news? The Wolves have the perfect set of defenders to throw at him.

Expect a rotation of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaden McDaniels, and Jaylen Clark to make Fox’s life miserable. If they can keep him out of the paint, force tough mid-range jumpers, and avoid dumb fouls, that alone should be enough to shut down San Antonio’s already limited offense.

4. Keep Moving the Ball on Offense

One of the biggest reasons the Wolves’ offense has looked better recently is because they’ve cut down on hero ball and are actually trusting each other.

Against Miami, we saw great ball movement, quick passing, and an unselfish approach that led to a balanced scoring attack.

That needs to continue.

• Ant will get his shots, but they should come within the flow of the offense.
• Julius Randle has to resist the urge to play ISO bully ball.
• Keep finding open shooters—Donte DiVincenzo, NAW, and Jaden McDaniels have been thriving off kickouts.

The more the Wolves move the ball and trust their teammates, the more deadly this offense becomes.

Final Thoughts: This is a Take-Care-of-Business Game

There’s zero excuse for the Wolves not to win this game.

• They’re the more talented team.
• They’re at home.
• The Spurs are missing their best player.
• They have real playoff stakes on the line.

If the Wolves lose this one, it’s 100% on them.

The focus has to be on getting the job done early. Don’t let San Antonio hang around into the fourth quarter. Don’t mess around and give them hope. Put this game away by halftime, rest the starters in the fourth, and start prepping for Denver.

Because that Nuggets game?

That’s the one that’s going to tell us just how high this team’s ceiling really is.

For now?

Just win. No drama, no nonsense. Get it done.