Anthony Edwards returned from injury and scored 18 points as the visiting team defeated the San Antonio Spurs 104-102.
Published May 5, 2026
Julius Randle scored 21 points and Anthony Edwards scored 18 points off the bench as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.
For Monday’s game in San Antonio, Minnesota was buoyed by the return of Edwards, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee on April 25 and was expected to be out for several weeks.
“We talked yesterday that if he (Edwards) is available, he’ll come off the bench, if that’s okay,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
“He was giving it his all and he did a really good job of not wanting to push things or force things even though he knew there was a time limit. I thought he did a really good job of just staying in the flow.”
San Antonio led by three points at the end of the third quarter. Edwards scored 11 of the Timberwolves’ first 19 points in the fourth period, and Minnesota went on a 7-0 run capped by Mike Conley’s 3-pointer with 4:42 left to take a 95-86 advantage.
Victor Wembaneyama’s dunk with 43.6 seconds left cut the deficit to four points, and Dylan Harper’s steal and layup with 30.9 seconds left brought San Antonio within one point. After Randle’s miss, the Spurs took no timeouts and handed the ball to Julien Champagnie, but his 3-point shot at the buzzer hit the front of the rim and rebounded.
“Dylan did a good job of tucking the ball in and kicking it forward,” Spurs manager Mitch Johnson said. “Julian had some flybys and was in rhythm with his shots. There were no problems with his shots. It was a great shot. I hope he makes it every time.”
Jayden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each added 16 points for Minnesota. Naz Reid and Conley each had 12 points, and Randle and Rudy Gobert each had 10 rebounds.
Harper led the Spurs with 18 points, while Stephon Castle and Champagnie each had 17 points. Devin Vassell had 14 points and Wenbanyama had a triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocked shots despite going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Keldon Johnson also scored 11 points for San Antonio.
Game 2 will be played Wednesday in San Antonio. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Minneapolis on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Knicks defeat 76ers
Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half for the New York Knicks, who continued their hot streak by defeating the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
By defeating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 of their first-round series on Thursday, the Knicks became just the second team in NBA history to end one series and start the next with consecutive wins by at least 30 points.
In 1986, the Boston Celtics defeated the Hawks 132-99 to end the Eastern Conference semifinal series and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in Game 1 of the conference finals. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title.
“There’s no denying that our guys are playing some pretty good basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “And I have to give them credit, especially where credit is due. They try to focus on the details, no matter what the score is.”
By winning their last three games against the Hawks by a combined 96 points, the Knicks became the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points in each of their three playoff games.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.
