39 points on 13-of-18 shooting. 15 rebounds. 5 blocks. A 16-point fourth quarter with 5 fouls. A spot alongside Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaquille in the 35/15/5 Club. At age 22, in just his 7th career playoff game, Victor Wembanyama authored the game that will be remembered as his coronation as the NBA's next king.
39 PTS, 15 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 5 BLK
Shooting: 13-for-18 FG (72.2%), 3-for-5 3PT (60.0%), 10-for-12 FT (83.3%)
36:58 minutes · +16 plus-minus
1 turnover · 5 fouls (5th foul with 6:18 remaining)
Game Score: 37.9
Result: Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108 — Spurs lead series 2-1
35+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ blocks in one playoff game.
The club (blocks tracked since 1973-74): Hakeem Olajuwon · Shaquille O'Neal (3 times) · Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2 times) · Victor Wembanyama (2026).
Only four players in 50+ years. Wembanyama is the youngest — 22.
Three legends hit the 35/15/5 playoff line — none at 70% from the field or better. Wembanyama: 72.2% (13-of-18).
Olajuwon: 40 PTS on 14-for-25 (56.0%) — 1987 vs. Seattle.
O'Neal: 43 PTS on 16-for-23 (69.6%) — 2001 Finals vs. 76ers.
Abdul-Jabbar: 37 PTS on 16-for-29 (55.2%) — 1977 vs. Warriors.
Volume plus efficiency at this threshold — unprecedented in playoff history.
16 of his 39 points in the fourth — after his 5th foul with 6:18 left.
With the Spurs up 99-98, Wembanyama sat only ~60 seconds before Mitch Johnson put him back in. We were going to not leave any bullets in the chamber in terms of keeping him on the bench. We were going to play him, and then if he fouled out, we deal with that.
Dagger: At 3:06, a 25-foot three pushed the lead to six — the shot that broke Minnesota's last rally.
Wembanyama: It was like holding the ship together. We had a lead. We didn't need to rush. We needed to be consistent.
Late, with the game in the balance, Wembanyama caught the post against 4-time DPOY Rudy Gobert — his French national-team mentor — spun, faded from 15 feet, and swished. The package came straight from Hakeem Olajuwon, who trained Wembanyama the prior summer.
Wembanyama: I had to resort to some things that Hakeem taught me in the fourth quarter. Many things. Especially that spin fadeaway over Rudy.
A 22-year-old deploying a Hall of Famer's footwork to score on a four-time DPOY — and elder statesman of the same national program — in the biggest game of his life.
Wembanyama scored 16 and assisted a Devin Vassell bucket — 18 of San Antonio's 29 fourth-quarter points (62.1%).
When the Spurs needed a bucket, they spaced the floor and trusted their 22-year-old — and he delivered.
Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle — Minnesota's primary paint attackers — shot 8-for-34 (23.5%) combined.
They were the most affected by Wembanyama's presence,
unable to establish short-range rhythm. Officially 5 blocks — many more altered; drives deterred all night.
Anthony Edwards: If we make our shots, we win this game.
With Wembanyama lurking, clean looks were scarce.
Game 1 vs. MIN (May 4): 11 PTS, 5-for-17 FG (29.4%), 0-for-8 3PT, 12 BLK — L 104-102.
Game 2 vs. MIN (May 6): 19 PTS, 15 REB, 58.3% FG — W 133-95.
Game 3 @ MIN (May 8): 39 PTS, 15 REB, 5 BLK, 13-for-18 (72.2%) — W 115-108.
After the worst offensive playoff night of his career, back-to-back statements; Spurs +45 combined in Games 2 and 3 after the Game 1 loss.
After G1: I feel like I had to use my energy. Obviously, I used a lot of it on one side of the court. On the other side, offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn't really help our team. So, that's on me.
We were going to not leave any bullets in the chamber in terms of keeping him on the bench,Johnson said.
If he fouled out, we deal with that.
They're Wolves, after all,Wembanyama grinned postgame.
It's going to happen.Then:
It's good to be along with the big fellas.
He was everywhere. Without him, I don't know if we win today. That's his character. On the road, tied series. We had them on their heels the whole game.
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3PT | FT | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | 39 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 13-18 | 3-5 | 10-12 | +16 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 17 | — | — | — | — | Data pending | — | ||
| Devin Vassell | 13 | — | — | — | — | Data pending | — | ||
| Stephon Castle | 13 | — | 12 | — | — | Data pending | +17 | ||
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3PT | FT | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | 32 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12-26 | 3-9 | 5-6 | -10 |
| Naz Reid | 18 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6-13 | 4-8 | 2-4 | — |
| Rudy Gobert | 13 | — | — | — | — | Data pending | — | ||
| Jaden McDaniels | — | — | — | — | — | See combined FG note * | — | ||
| Julius Randle | — | — | — | — | — | See combined FG note * | — | ||
| * Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle shot a combined 8-for-34 from the floor (23.5%). Individual splits for PTS/REB/AST in this row set are data pending. | |||||||||
— Victor Wembanyama (on his performance)
It was like holding the ship together. We had a lead. We didn't need to rush. We needed to be consistent, rather than doing incredible things, or amazing things.
— Victor Wembanyama (on joining Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaq)
It's good to be along with the big fellas.
— Victor Wembanyama (on using Olajuwon's moves)
I had to resort to some things that Hakeem taught me in the fourth quarter. Many things. Especially that spin fadeaway over Rudy.
— Stephon Castle (on Wembanyama)
He was everywhere. Without him, I don't know if we win today. That's his character. On the road, tied series. We had them on their heels the whole game.
— Mitch Johnson (Spurs coach, on playing Wembanyama with 5 fouls)
We were going to not leave any bullets in the chamber in terms of keeping him on the bench. We were going to play him, and then if he fouled out, we deal with that.
— Mitch Johnson (on Wembanyama's overall impact)
He really imposed himself on the game. He established himself dominating the paint and rim on both ends.
— Anthony Edwards (on the loss)
I went in the locker room and told the guys we had a bunch of great looks. If we make our shots, we win this game.
— De'Aaron Fox (on the importance of Game 3)
We've seen teams come back from down 3-1, but winning this game was extremely important to us. That's when your backs are against wall, down 2-1 on the road.
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