Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 114-109 on Sunday, leveling their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2 after the dramatic ejection of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama early in the second quarter, News.Az reports, citing AP.

Naz Reid, who was struck in the neck by Wembanyama’s elbow during the incident that led to the French star’s ejection, contributed 15 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota closed the game strongly despite several inconsistent stretches.

“Pain is weakness in the body,” Reid said after the victory.

Edwards sparked the Timberwolves comeback with a deep 27-foot three-pointer that cut the deficit to 94-91. He then turned to energize the Target Center crowd before drilling another catch-and-shoot three from the wing with 5:12 remaining to give Minnesota a 98-97 lead — their first advantage since the middle of the third quarter.

Minnesota’s frontcourt then stepped up in Wembanyama’s absence. Rudy Gobert finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, converting a three-point play off a high-low pass from Reid with just over three minutes left. Gobert later extended the lead to 107-101 with a dunk following a slick assist from Julius Randle.

Reid’s put-back basket with 40 seconds remaining pushed the Timberwolves lead to seven before Dylan Harper responded with a rebound, steal and two free throws to bring San Antonio within three points.

The game was finally sealed after Ayo Dosunmu recovered possession following a chaotic full-court play involving inbounder Jaden McDaniels and Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. Dosunmu calmly made two free throws with 9.8 seconds left to secure the win and tie the series.

The Spurs will host Game 5 on Tuesday, while Wembanyama’s availability remains uncertain pending a possible league review following his Flagrant 2 foul and automatic ejection for excessive contact on Reid.

Harper and Fox each scored 24 points for San Antonio, while Stephon Castle added 20 as the Spurs guards attempted to compensate for the absence of their 7-foot-4 centerpiece with a series of mid-range jump shots.

“Just trying to be what the team needed me to be,” Harper said. “I think I did OK. Obviously the main goal is to win. We didn't get that done.”

The Target Center crowd erupted when Wembanyama exited the floor with Minnesota leading by two, but the Timberwolves struggled for stretches to capitalize fully on his absence.

“When every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free. They get more shots, more confident,” Edwards said. “So I think it was a lot harder on us.”

After committing six turnovers during a difficult third quarter, Minnesota trailed by eight early in the fourth after Fox connected on a three-pointer. However, the Timberwolves responded with another composed late-game rally.

“We have a resilient group of guys. No matter the circumstances, we are going to keep fighting and give everything we have and keep trusting one another,” Gobert said. “Just making the right play. That’s who we are. We might not be always consistent with that, but I feel like when it matters, we raise our level.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev