It was a neck-to-neck thriller on Saturday night as two Western Conference contenders met for the third time this season. On a late-night game in San Antonio, the Spurs narrowly came out on top over the Timberwolves in a night defined by star power, hot shooting, and competitive individual matchups that helped determine the game.
The Spurs were led by Victor Wembanyama, who tallied 39 points, nine rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and two blocks on 52.2% shooting and 44.4% shooting from three. De’Aaron Fox added 23 points, three rebounds, 12 assists, zero steals, and one block on 58.8% shooting and 40.0% shooting from three. Finally, Keldon Johnson had a nice game off the bench with 20 points, one rebound, two assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 57.1% shooting and 60.0% shooting from three.
Despite the loss, Anthony Edwards delivered a career-high performance with 55 points on 57.6% shooting and 56.2% shooting from three to go long with four rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and zero blocks. Jaden McDaniels followed him with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block on 50.0% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three. Julius Randle added 17 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks on 30.8% shooting (0-2 from three).
While plenty of factors played a role in this game, this one was really defined by the stars. Wemby and Edwards were going back and forth all night, giving the fans an entertaining battle of stars that never let up. Of course, as the second and fourth seeds in the West, respectively, it also featured high-level basketball throughout in a high-stakes showdown.
ANTHONY EDWARDS VS. VICTOR WEMBANYAMA BATTLE. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 18, 2026
Ultimately, while Victor won this round, Edwards still has bragging rights over their last encounter, which ended in a game-winner for Minnesota. Even for a team that’s beaten the Thunder three times this season, Ant knows how to carve up their defense for easy points, and he was finding his spots with a radiating confidence today.
After the game, the two stars even exchanged a media moment after Edwards revealed his desire to dunk on the Spurs’ big man. “I’ll be up for the challenge,” said Wembanyama. “I’ll try to block him more than he dunks on me.”
Ultimately, this game wasn’t just a random matchup in January; it’s a potential Western Conference playoff series. With both teams ontrack for a 50+ win season, this game carried some extra weight, and you could feel it just from watching the game. Even on the second end of a back-to-back, the Timberwolves played with energy and intentionality, chipping away at the Spurs’ lead until nothing was left. If not for the combined effort of Wembanyama and Fox, the score of this game might have turned out totally different.
