Stephon Castle gives the Spurs 32 points in a 139-109 blowout to eliminate Timberwolves in Game 6

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs were well on their way to the Western Conference finals in the fourth quarter when Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards went down to their bench to briefly offer his congratulations.

The young Spurs left no doubt they're already a serious NBA title contender.

Stephon Castle had 32 points and 11 rebounds to highlight another dominant performance from the backcourt, and Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs romped past the Timberwolves 139-109 on Friday night to finish in the second-round series in six games.

“I just tip my hat to them,” Edwards said. “They were just the better team.”

De'Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists and rookie Dylan Harper had 15 points off the bench for the Spurs, who set their franchise postseason record for 3-pointers made by going 18 for 38. They will face defending champion Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Monday night. The Thunder swept their first two series.

“Of course we’re confident, but we need to keep the right confidence level,” Wembanyama said. “Right now, I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just thinking about recovering.”

Wembanyama, who bounced back from his stunning Game 4 ejection with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Game 5 blowout, was well-guarded by the Wolves in Game 6 and had a quiet 19 points in 27 minutes. But he still served as a constant defensive deterrent in the paint, and he dutifully joined the Spurs in transition whenever they had the opportunity to run — which was often.

The size, smarts and shooting touch of the Spurs guards were too much for the Wolves, who predictably had their hands full with the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.

Castle made his first five 3-pointers and finished 11 for 16 from the floor. Fox was 3 for 3 from deep, and Julian Champagnie made four 3s among his 18 points for the Spurs, who outscored the Wolves by a whopping 97 points in the series and never once trailed by double digits. The Spurs breezed by Portland Trail in five games in the first round.

“It shows that we already gained a little bit of experience from our short playoff time," Wembanyama said. "I feel like we put ourselves in the best conditions, as simple as that.”

Anthony Edwards had 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Wolves, who got another spark from reserves Terrence Shannon (21 points) and Naz Reid (18 points) but were again flustered by the Spurs and their relentless switch-heavy defense. Julius Randle had just three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

“It just felt like we kind of ran out of bullets as this series went on,” coach Chris Finch said.

This no-show in the elimination game might’ve felt familiar to Wolves fans, who’ve otherwise enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in the playoffs over the last three years.

Minnesota trailed by 33 points at halftime in a 30-point loss at Oklahoma City in the Game 5 ouster in the Western Conference finals last year and were down by 29 points at the break to Dallas in losing the Western Conference finals in 2024 in a 21-point loss in Game 5.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA