Takeaways: Timberwolves rally from 19-point deficit to topple Spurs 104-103

For three quarters, the Spurs appeared as if they were on their way to a wire-to-wire victory.

Victor Wembanyama had helped ground their offense to a halt, and the Wolves trailed as much as 19.

The Wolves woke up in the fourth quarter Sunday, Jan. 11, for an exhilarating 104-103 victory, one of their best victories of the season.

The Wolves tied the score at 96-96 with 3 minutes, 27 seconds to play. The teams traded big baskets from there, with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels hitting for the Wolves while De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes sinking clutch shots for the Spurs to give San Antonio a 103-102 lead with 33.6 seconds left.

After a Wolves timeout, Edwards found room off the dribble against Victor Wembanyama for a shot that gave the Wolves a 104-103 lead with 16.8 to play.

The Wolves held on after Wembanyama and Fox missed before the buzzer.

Edwards finished with 23 points while Randle had 15, which included seven in the fourth quarter.

The win will have more implications for the Wolves beyond this game. After committing a flagrant foul on Wembanyama in the fourth quarter, center Rudy Gobert will be suspended for Tuesday’s game at Milwaukee.

Gobert now has accumulated six flagrant foul points in the season, which results in a one-game suspension. Every flagrant foul Gobert receives from here on out the rest of the season will be a two-game suspension.

Gobert also picked up a technical foul in the aftermath of the play, which was a reckless closeout while Wembanyama was shooting a three-pointer with 7 minutes, 24 seconds to play. The score was 87-81 Spurs and Wembanyama hit four free throws: three for the foul and one for the technical.

Players’ flagrant foul points do reset once the postseason begins.

Gobert later committed an away-from-the-play foul on Wembanyama, which resulted in a free throw with the Wolves down 95-93 and 3:54 left.

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The first quarter was pretty simple from the Wolves’ perspective. They couldn’t score when Wembanyama was on the floor, and they played better when he sat. Wembanyama, who has been coming off the bench as San Antonio manages his return from a calf injury, started and played four minutes in the first quarter. The Wolves didn’t score when he played, and they started the night in a 16-0 hole.

They were 0-for-8 with three turnovers as the Spurs took the early lead. When Wembanyama sat, the offense opened up a bit, and the Wolves trailed 31-24 entering the second. Edwards had to play around two fouls in the first.

The offensive struggles continued in the second, however, as Wembanyama was a plus-21 in his time on the floor. The Wolves shot just 38% for the first half, 3-for-16 from three-point range.

The Wolves said Terrence Shannon Jr., who has missed the past eight games because of a left foot abductor hallucis strain, will continue his rehabilitation process but remain out.