The San Antonio Spurs secured a narrow 126-123 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, January 17, 2026, despite a career-high 55-point performance by Anthony Edwards, thanks to Victor Wembanyama’s 39-point effort.
In a game that featured a dramatic comeback, the Spurs built a commanding 25-point halftime lead after outscoring the Timberwolves 48-22 in the second quarter, with Wembanyama scoring 20 points in that period alone. This outburst marked San Antonio’s highest-scoring quarter in nearly four decades, highlighting their offensive firepower early on.
However, Anthony Edwards refused to let the game slip away, igniting in the second half with 39 points, including a staggering 26 in the fourth quarter. His fadeaway jumper with 3:28 remaining gave Minnesota its first lead of the second half at 110-108, setting the stage for a thrilling finish. Edwards’ 55 points set a season-high for points in a loss, underscoring his individual brilliance in defeat.
The closing minutes turned into a personal duel between the two former number one draft picks, with Wembanyama and Edwards trading baskets. After Edwards’ go-ahead shot, Wembanyama responded with a jumper to tie the game, and they exchanged three-pointers to keep it knotted at 113. The back-and-forth continued until Wembanyama hit another jumper to put the Spurs up by one with under two minutes left.
Key plays down the stretch included a block by Wembanyama that led to a Keldon Johnson three-pointer, giving San Antonio a 123-119 advantage with 17 seconds remaining. Edwards quickly answered with a corner three, but De’Aaron Fox’s two free throws extended the lead back to three. Edwards was fouled but made only one of two free throws, and after a missed free throw by Julian Champagnie, Wembanyama secured the crucial rebound and made a free throw to ice the game.
Edwards, who expressed his admiration for the matchup, said, ‘I’ve always got to get up for that one. I loved it. I wish we could have just moved everybody out the way and just checked up — me versus him.’ Wembanyama acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating, ‘The whole story of the game is we let the lead get away. What’s important is to figure out what we want to get to in those moments.’
The Timberwolves were hampered by injuries, playing without defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert due to a hip contusion, and losing Naz Reid to shoulder soreness early in the game. Despite this, Edwards’ heroics nearly carried them to victory, with Jaden McDaniels adding 23 points and Julius Randle contributing 17. For the Spurs, Fox complemented Wembanyama with 25 points and 12 assists, while Johnson added 20 points off the bench.
This win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Spurs against the Timberwolves and provided a boost in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff race. Both teams will look to build on this performance as the season progresses, with the Spurs aiming to address their late-game execution while celebrating a hard-fought victory over a resilient opponent.
