Wemby Scores 27, Spurs Beat Anthony Edwards, Wolves in Game 5 as NBA Fans React to Win

The San Antonio Spurs are one win away from their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 2017.

San Antonio defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 in Tuesday's Game 5 of their second-round playoff series at Frost Bank Center to take a 3-2 lead. It will now have the opportunity to close the Timberwolves out on the road and earn a chance at the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Victor Wembanyama returned from his Game 4 ejection and led the way with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as one of six Spurs players to score in double figures. Stephon Castle (17 points, six assists and four rebounds), De'Aaron Fox (18 points and five assists) and Keldon Johnson (21 points) also filled up the stat sheet in a balanced effort.

Solid games from Anthony Edwards (20 points), Ayo Dosunmu (16 points, nine rebounds and four assists), Julius Randle (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Jaden McDaniels (17 points and six rebounds) weren't enough for the Timberwolves, and social media had plenty of reaction to San Antonio's overall performance:

The biggest storyline coming into Tuesday's contest was the return of Wembanyama after he was ejected in the first half of Game 4 for swinging his elbow into Naz Reid's chin. The NBA decided not to suspend him for Game 5, which made a major difference right out the gate.

He poured in 18 points in the first quarter alone and then notched a double-double before intermission. His post scoring alone was impossible to stop for the Timberwolves, but he also mixed in multiple three-pointers and impressive touch outside the paint as a matchup nightmare.

The result was a 12-point halftime lead for San Antonio with Fox also getting into the lane and Johnson providing a spark off the bench with instant offense.

Instant offense was nowhere to be found for Minnesota with Wembanyama protecting the rim and inconsistent outside shooting during a 17-point second quarter, but the visitors seized momentum and tied things up with a 14-2 run to start the third quarter with Edwards, McDaniels and Dosunmu spearheading the attack.

But all that spurt did was wake up the Spurs.

They dominated the remainder of the third quarter with Johnson swatting Rudy Gobert, Castle throwing down a dunk and taking over the offense for a stretch, and defensive double teams to get the ball out of Edwards' hands.

Throw in Wembanyama continuing to control the glass, and San Antonio built a commanding 18-point lead by the start of the fourth.

That final quarter was largely a formality as the Spurs put the finishing touches on their win and built momentum heading into Friday's Game 6 in Minnesota.