The San Antonio Spurs, steeped in championship history, will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the semifinals of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. Victor Wembanyama will square up against Rudy Gobert, countrymen and familiar friends, yet foes. Will Gobert continue his defensive masterclass, or will Wembanyama prevail? Yankee Scores reports.
Road to the Semis
San Antonio Spurs clinched the second spot of the NBA Western Conference semifinals, dominating the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Despite missing Game 2 of the series, Wembanyama averaged 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks per game.
Minnesota, on the other hand, had a toucher opponent in Denver Nuggets, but they prevailed, winning the series 4-2 despite fielding only 8 active players in the Game 6 of the series.
Rudy Gobert was the highlight of the series with his lockdown defense on Nikola Jokić. The 4x DPOY reduced the 3x MVP to 33% shooting against him, and 44% overall in the series, down from 57% during the regular season.
Wembanyama vs Gobert
Can the four-time Defensive Player of the Year maintain his defensive prowess from the Jokić matchup against Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year the season?
The two Frenchmen already share history. Gobert was a regular presence early into Wembanyama’s professional basketball career in France with the Nanterre 92, before Wembanyama was drafted as the No 1 overall pick in the NBA in 2023.
Six years ago…
Now we get to see them go at it on the biggest stage
Cannot wait 🍿 pic.twitter.com/EuVBRlbwVI
— Zach (@ZachNBA_) May 1, 2026
The French duo have met 8 times, with Gobert winning 6 of those matchups, while Wembanyama averaged 23 points, 9 rebounds in 33 minutes per game. When asked about Wembanyama in an interview after Game 6 against the Nuggets, Gobert said, “It will be a big challenge to face the Spurs and Wembanyama. He’s a unique player in history.”
Spurs vs Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have won 10 of their last 15 games against the San Antonio Spurs, including two for three this season. The Timberwolves will be without 3 key players, 2 if Ayo Dosunmu returns early in the series.
For the Spurs, they’ll look to take advantage of key players’ absence, Anthony Edwards and Dante DiVincenzo. Coach Mitch Johnson will need to counter Minnesota’s tactic of using smaller, quicker players to disrupt Victor Wembanyama’s rhythm, a challenge that has consistently troubled the 22-year-old.
