Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

After a short successful trip to Portland, the Spurs return home for three games in a row, starting with Sunday’s against the Timberwolves. It will be the second matchup of the season between these outfits, with their first being claimed by San Antonio on November 2nd. It was a night where Chris Paul had 15 points and 13 assists and Keldon Johnson added an efficient 25 points off the bench. .

The Timberwolves are a talented team on paper, but one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far. They have won five of their last 10 games and their best player, Anthony Edwards, is averaging 23.7 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 42.2 percent from 3-point range in that span. The character of this team hasn’t been the same since Karl-Anthony Towns was sent to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in the offseason. Spurs have a good opportunity to improve their record against a team that has not been united.

San Antonio Spurs (13-12) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-11)

15 December 2024 at 6 p.m. CT

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs injuries: Stephon Castle- Doubtful (Left Shoulder Contusion), Zach Collins- Doubtful (Bilateral Lower Back Contusion), David Duke Jr.- Out (G-League), Harrison Ingram- Out (G-League), Keldon Johnson- Out (Left Calf ) stem). Tre Jones- Doubtful (left shoulder sprain), Riley Minix- Out (G-League).

Timberwolves injuries: Jaylen Clark- Out (G-League), Jesse Edwards- Out (G-League), Joe Ingles- Out (left soleus strain), Leonard Miller- Out (G-League), Daishen Nix- Out (G-League) .

What to watch out for

How Wembanyama handles different matchups

The Spurs’ first quarter woes are likely to continue as the Timberwolves open games strong while the Spurs stumble out of the gates. Expect Victor Wembanyama to be guarded by the big three of Randle, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. They will try to stifle him by playing him physical while on and off the ball, but his length will be too much for them inside the arc. This will be a night for Paul to shine because the Spurs will need to use his IQ to manipulate Minnesota’s fifth-ranked defense into giving up the 3-point line.

Exploiting Minnesota’s offense

In addition, the Timberwolves sixth in isolation as one of the teams that like to target players. Edwards wants to go big game hunting for Wemby, as he has done before via pick and roll. Setting up points for Edwards moving up the field will require a lot of attention to detail because one misstep and he will blow by and create a five-on-four. Still, it will be easier for the Spurs to guard them while Gobert is active because his teammates will lose confidence in his lackluster offensive game.

On top of that, Minnesota has a predictable, below-average offense. If the Spurs don’t overshoot from the three-point line, they’ll be in good position late to pull out the win. Additionally, it will help the Spurs that Minnesota’s offense plays against a solid defense 86.9 percent of the time, per Cleaning the Glass.

Spurs are not favored in this match. The ESPN Bet money line is -170 for Minnesota and +145 for San Antonio.