Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Rodeo Road Trip ends tonight in Minnesota

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been among the best teams this season, having held either the 1st or 2nd spot in the Western Conference standings for most of the year. However, everyone is sorta bunched up in the standings out West and more than a few questions surround this squad. They have the league’s top ranked defense, but their offense ranks just 17th. Led on the offensive end by the potent 1-2 punch of All Stars Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns, the rest of the roster leaves much to be desired as far as that side of the ball goes. Defense travels though, and regardless of where they finish the year in the standings, they’ll be a tough out for anyone in any round.

For the Spurs, tonight represents the final game of what has been another disappointing Rodeo Road Trip in a recent slew of them. Victor Wembanyama continues to show fans glimpses into what the future of the San Antonio Spurs could be, but they’ve been too brief to satisfy for long, especially this late into an 11-47 season. With Wembanyama and Vassell looking like, “Guys,” as the months have gone on, the puzzle concerning the rest of this roster is slowly coming into focus, ripe for solving this offseason. But for now, the Spurs solider on for another game.

San Antonio Spurs (11-47) at Minnesota Timberwolves (40-17)

February 27 2024 | 7:00 PM CT

Watch: BSSW | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Charles Bassey, out for the year, Marcus Morris, out (still doesn’t want to play for the Spurs)

Timberwolves Injuries: Rudy Gobert, ankle (day to day)

What to watch for

If anyone has a gripe for being overlooked in the MVP conversation, it’s probably Anthony Edwards. His stats aren’t as flashy as some of the frontrunners for the award, but he’s averaging career highs in PPG (26.3), field goal % (47%), 3-point % (38%), and both free throw attempts (6.6 FTA) and percentage (83.3%). Even without the MVP hype, Edwards’ play this season has drawn comparisons from critics with some of the greatest wings to ever play the game, including its greatest player Michael Jordan.

The Rudy Gobert trade that sent Wemby’s fellow Frenchman from Utah to Minnesota was panned at the time, but Gobert has been the lynchpin of Minnesota’s top-ranked defense this season. In a few weeks, he could be on a shortlist of players in league history to come away with its Defensive Player of the Year award 4 times, joining Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.
Keldon Johnson was benched after playing just 4 minutes in the loss to Utah, with the coaching staff noting that it was due to repetitive mistakes. How he responds to that benching tonight should be telling. Johnson has struggled since January rolled around and is averaging just 11 points a night in February.
Former Spur Kyle Anderson is in his 2nd season with the TWolves. Getting most of his playing time coming off the bench, Slo-Mo is averaging 6 points, 3.6 boards, and 4 dimes. He still hasn’t figured out his 3-ball game, shooting a putrid 20% on less than 1 attempt per game.
Tonight is the 4th and final meeting of the season between the Spurs and Timberwolves, which also means it’s the last time we’ll get to see the big ole Frenchmen go against one another. The Spurd come into tonight 1-2 against Minnesota.