Wolves run out of juice on second half of back to back, fall to Spurs

The defensive intensity simply wasn't there for Minnesota Saturday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan during the first half at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 2, 2024. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Fresh off a hard-fought win over the Denver Nuggets Friday night in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves found themselves in San Antonio taking on the Spurs on a less than 24-hour turnaround after the thrilling emotions of the late comeback.

The Wolves didn't leave for San Antonio until after midnight Friday, and they didn't have the juice defensively on the second half of the back to back, falling to the Spurs 113-103 Saturday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

The Spurs (3-3) simply had too many good looks, shooting 52% from the field. They scored 52 points in the paint, and the Wolves (3-3) lost the rebounding battle 44-32. Minnesota trailed by as many as 19 points and couldn't close the gap late.

The Wolves had no answer for Keldon Johnson off the bench. In 29 minutes, Johnson scored a game-high 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Jeremy Sochan, who got into a scuffle with Jaden McDaniels during the third quarter, scored 19 points, and Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Both the Wolves and Spurs came out of the gates shooting red-hot. The two teams traded baskets in the first quarter, which was a 32-32 draw. The Spurs went into the half leading 62-57 and used a 10-1 run to pull away in the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle each scored 21 points to lead the Wolves. Among the few encouraging signs was Donte DiVincenzo having his best shooting night in a Wolves jersey, scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.

The Wolves didn't rest anyone on the second half of the back to back, and the rotation stayed relatively the same, aside from Josh Minott taking the ninth spot in minutes that so far have gone to Joe Ingles. The other young guys, including rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., also saw some garbage time minutes late in the game.

Minott finished with four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes, including a fourth-quarter layup before the Wolves had waved the white flag. Dillingham had two assists in the final three minutes. PJ Dozier scored four points, including a 3.

Ultimately, the defensive energy just wasn't there for the Wolves on the second night of a rough back to back. They'll look to get back on track at home Monday night when the Charlotte Hornets visit town for an 8 p.m. tipoff.