Julian Champagnie Leads Spurs Into Game 1 Against Timberwolves
Julian Champagnie was part of a Spurs team that opened its Western Conference Semifinal series Monday night against Minnesota on Peacock and NBCSN. The game brought together a San Antonio club chasing another round of momentum and a Timberwolves team that got back here despite injuries to key guards.
Anthony Edwards and Minnesota
Minnesota advanced past Denver even after losing Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo from the starting backcourt, and the Timberwolves beat the No. 3 seed for the second consecutive season. Edwards was listed as questionable for Game 1 after Minnesota announced Sunday that he had been cleared for on-court basketball activities.
The Timberwolves entered the series 2-1 against San Antonio in the regular season. Their most recent meeting came on Jan. 17, when the Spurs won 126-123 and Edwards scored a career-high 55 points.
San Antonio’s 4-1 run
San Antonio reached the second round with a 4-1 win over Portland, its first playoff series since 2019 and its first series victory since 2017. All four wins came by double digits, and the Spurs answered their lone loss in Game 2 after Victor Wembanyama suffered a concussion and missed one game.
Dylan Harper gave that series an extra jolt when he came off the bench for 27 points in Game 3 without Wembanyama. He scored 22 of those points in the second half and became the second-youngest player to score at least 20 points off the bench in the playoffs since Kobe Bryant.
Finch’s rotation choices
Minnesota’s path has also run through the health report. Ayo Dosunmu missed the Game 6 clincher over Denver with a sore right calf, and Chris Finch said he is day to day after taking part only in light work Saturday.
The Timberwolves have made the playoffs in all five full seasons under Finch, and this series is the next test after they advanced past the Nuggets with the backcourt short-handed. For San Antonio, the opening game offered another chance to keep pressure on Minnesota after a first round built on double-digit wins and late comebacks in Games 3 and 4.
