Spurs vs Wolves: Playoff Round 2 Preview

The San Antonio Spurs host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a red-hot second-round playoff clash in 2026. Wembanyama and co are about to run into a team that looks a lot stronger than the one they faced in round one, while Anthony Edwards is eyeing a Game 1 return! Analysis, player to watch and prediction from mathodds.

How the two teams come in

The Spurs had a pretty comfortable first round. Absolutely nobody fancied the Blazers to take four games off the Texans, and surprise, surprise, they never looked close. Mitch Johnson’s men rolled over a young Portland side that could not handle San Antonio’s backcourt or Wemby’s offensive firepower. It was a gentleman’s sweep for the Oregon franchise, 4-1, although the Blazers did nick a win in Game 2 after the French star picked up his injury.

LES. HIGHLIGHTS. DU. TOUT. PREMIER. MATCH. DE. PLAYOFFS. DE. VICTOR. WEMBANYAMA. 🍿

35 – +3400 – 34/1 PTS | 5 REB | 2 BLK | 33 MIN 📊

SAVOUREZ. SOURIEZ, CÉLÉBREZ…C’EST FRANÇAIS 🇫🇷🥳🥳🥳

35 PUNTOS !!!
LA WIN !!!

QUELLE CHANCE ON A DE L’AVOIR 👽🫶

🎥 – @BalaPattySZN pic.twitter.com/1b9lN2byWk

— 50 Nuances 🇺🇸🏀 (@50NuancesDeNBA) April 20, 2026

Everyone chipped in on the collective success. Victor is putting together a huge series despite a spell in the concussion protocol: 21.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game on better than 50% shooting across four games. But he has not been doing it alone, with Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper all turning in strong series. The Spurs rookie took full advantage of Wembanyama’s absence in Game 3, posting a monster line of 27 points and 10 rebounds on 75% shooting to swing the tie back San Antonio’s way.

Dylan Harper 27 PTS, 10 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 9/12 FG, 4/5 3FG, 5/6 FT, 92.2% TS vs Blazers pic.twitter.com/jPOh3fjEso https://t.co/YZ9vJdkVkX

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) April 25, 2026

Minnesota arrive in Texas battered by the first round. Sure, knocking out Denver was a huge achievement, but the Wolves have lost DiVincenzo for the rest of the playoffs and probably all of next season after an Achilles tear. Add in injuries to Edwards and Dosunmu, Minnesota’s two main scoring threats outside Julius Randle, and it gets messy fast. That said, both are listed as doubtful for Game 1 against the Spurs tonight.

Set the injuries aside and Minnesota still had an excellent opening round against a Nuggets team that looked stronger on paper. In reality, though, Finch’s men were the better side, led by an outstanding Rudy Gobert job on Jokić and, even more surprisingly, by Ayo Dosunmu, who erupted for 43 points in Game 3. Even without Edwards, others stepped up — Naz Reid, Bones Hyland and Jaden McDaniels, who sealed the series with 32 points after talking a big game in the post-match interviews…

Jaden McDaniels, deadpan delivery, on what worked for the Timberwolves offensively.

Jaden: Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team.”

Q: They’re all bad defenders?

Jaden: “Yeah, they’re all bad defenders.” pic.twitter.com/Lbjq7je9Fo

— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) April 21, 2026

Player to watch for the Spurs: Stephon Castle

After putting up solid numbers in round one (19.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds), Castle will need to keep the scoring coming. But his biggest job is likely to come at the other end, where he is expected to take the main defensive assignment on Anthony Edwards, if Edwards is actually back. Either way, the Spurs guard is one of the pillars of San Antonio’s defence alongside Wemby inside. His role will go a long way to deciding how solid the Texan side look against a Wolves team that finished the season with the league’s 13th-ranked offence.

Player to watch for the Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert

Rudy’s defensive job on Nikola Jokić in round one was nothing short of legendary, holding the MVP contender to averages of 25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists per game. On the face of it, those are strong numbers, but once you dig into the percentages, the Serbian big man was shooting 44% from the field and just 19% from three. Watching the games, Gobert’s impact was even clearer, especially the way Jokić hesitated on rim attacks that ended up costing Denver games.

This time, though, the Wolves centre faces a different kind of challenge against his teammate Victor Wembanyama. The profile is far removed from Jokić’s, built more around pick-and-roll action and long-range shooting. That means Rudy will have to adjust and do everything he can to stop Wembanyama from getting easy looks in the paint.

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Let’s do it

mathodds prediction

San Antonio Spurs in 6 games (4-2)

The 3 keys:

• How the Wolves try to stop Wembanyama from doing damage as often as possible

• What level of play Anthony Edwards can bring if he does return

• What Minnesota get from a bench that looks weaker on paper than San Antonio’s

The Spurs are stronger on paper and should be able to handle an injury-hit Wolves side with relative ease. Still, if Edwards makes it back, Minnesota can change the picture in a hurry…

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