Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs came away with a comfortable 126-97 win in Game 3 at home to now gain a 3-2 series lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After avoiding suspension, Wembanyama came back to Game 5 seemingly with a chip on his shoulder. He scored 16 of his 27 points in the first six minutes of the game itself as he hit the ground running after missing most of Game 4 due to his ejection. Midway through the very first quarter, Ayo Dosunmu tried to visibly get into Victor Wembanyama’s head as the duo exchanged words on the court.
The Spurs and Wolves are both bringing that playoff intensity. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QcJC07chea
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Following the game, Wembanyama was asked about what Dosunmu said in that back-and-forth.
“Yeah, I feel like ragebaiting may be one of their strategies,” said Wembanyama as he acknowledged that Dosunmu was just trying to get under his skin.
The French star is one win away from leading his team to its first visit to the Western Conference Finals in his career. He led all scorers tonight and stuffed the box score to finish with a monster double-double. Wembanyama ended up with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks while shooting 9-16 from the floor (56.3 FG%) and 2-5 from behind the three-point line (40.0 3P%).
Even in the video of the incident, it is clear that Dosunmu failed at trying to do so, as Wembanyama just chuckled at his words. Maybe it was just keeping up public appearances of being a bigger person, just like the Timberwolves did when they said Wembanyama avoiding suspension and playing in Game 5 did not affect them.
Dosunmu gave Wembanyama his flowers after the game at the press conference.
“I mean, he’s one of the best players in the league. I always say I mean playoff times, the best players you know rise to the occasion, and at any given moment, they can go off. You saw Ant’s last game, you know, how he was able to just erupt and get it. Once he gets it going, it’s like it’s hard to stop.”
“And I think Wemby, he came out, you know, with that same mindset. He made some easy ones and then, you know, the basket started to look a little big for him. So, I wouldn’t say we expected it. You know, we came into the game trying to win the game, and we understand what kind of player he is. So when you’re a good player like that, at any given moment, you can just break out,” said Dosunmu.
The Spurs clearly got the last laugh as they now head to Minnesota for Game 6 of this series to potentially close it out and avoid a Game 7. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night, May 15.
Will the Timberwolves force a Game 7, or will the Spurs go to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2017? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
