Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

San Antonio Spurs host Minnesota Timberwolves at Frost Bank Center on Sunday in a rematch of last season's Western Conference semi-final, which the Spurs won 4-2, with Minnesota playing the second night of a back-to-back.

Minnesota have been rebuilt since that series, with Julius Randle and Naz Reid traded to bring in LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga signed as a free agent, while the Spurs finished 62-20 last season and reached the NBA Finals before losing to the New York Knicks in five games.

What is the form like for the Timberwolves and Spurs?

Form Guide

Minnesota Timberwolves4-2 · 7th in the West

Last 5 (2026-27 regular season)

WWLLW

121.5PPG

106.7Opp PPG

116.8Off. rating

102.4Def. rating

San Antonio Spurs3-2 · 8th in the West

Last 5 (2026-27 regular season)

LLWWW

116.6PPG

110.0Opp PPG

114.1Off. rating

108.1Def. rating

Minnesota sit seventh in the conference standings on a 4-2 record, one place above San Antonio, who are 3-2, although the samples are small at six and five games respectively.

The Timberwolves won their first three games, lost 125-127 at Cleveland and 114-119 against Golden State, then beat the Los Angeles Clippers 127-101 in their last outing, with Ball scoring a season-high 24 points and Jaden McDaniels adding 23.

San Antonio lost their first two games at home, 104-116 to Oklahoma City and 110-114 to Houston, but have won three in a row since, the latest a 117-111 overtime victory at Utah in which Victor Wembanyama scored 36 points with 14 rebounds.

The Jazz forced that extra period after a five-point Spurs lead disappeared inside the final two minutes, and coach Mitch Johnson took responsibility for a late coaching error afterwards.

Minnesota's net rating of +14.4 dwarfs San Antonio's +6.0, although it was built over six games that included a 25-point win at Miami and a 23-point win over Toronto.

Rebounding is where the Timberwolves hold their clearest edge, with Rudy Gobert pulling down 12.3 a game and reserve Joan Beringer adding 7.0 in just 16.1 minutes.

The Spurs take better care of the ball, turning it over 13.2 times a game against 16.2, and Minnesota are playing their third game in four nights on the NBA schedule while San Antonio have had two days off.

That rest gap and home court should be enough for the Spurs to win, although Minnesota's defence, the stronger of the two per possession, makes a comfortable margin harder to reach.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs team news and rotations

Anthony Edwards is out for Minnesota after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, with the club setting no timetable for his return, and he had averaged 33.3 points in four games before the procedure.

Donte DiVincenzo is also out with a right Achilles problem, so Minnesota are expected to start the same five that began against the Clippers, with Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Kuminga, McDaniels and Gobert, while Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the reserves at 13.7 points a game and Bones Hyland scored 19 off the bench against the Clippers.

San Antonio are without free-agent signing Tobias Harris, who signed a two-year deal in the summer but has yet to make his debut after a calf strain, and Jayden Quaintance, who is recovering from knee surgery.

The Spurs are expected to start De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Wembanyama, with Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson leading the second unit.

Timberwolves vs. Spurs, the matchups that could decide it

Key Matchups

The middle

Victor WembanyamaSAS

VS

Rudy GobertMIN

25.0Wemby PPG

11.4Wemby RPG

7.0Gobert PPG

12.3Gobert RPG

Wembanyama's scoring against Gobert's rebounding decides who controls the paint, with both averaging around 30 minutes.

The point guards

De'Aaron FoxSAS

VS

LaMelo BallMIN

15.4Fox PPG

7.0Fox APG

15.2Ball PPG

6.7Ball APG

53.1%Fox FG%

41.3%Ball FG%

Fox shoots far more efficiently, while Ball is the creator Minnesota lean on most with Edwards absent.

Wembanyama against Gobert shaped the semi-final, with Wembanyama scoring 19 points and 15 rebounds in the Game 2 rout and 27 points and 17 rebounds in Game 5 after his ejection in Game 4, and Gobert now faces a player averaging 25.0 points this season.

In the backcourt, Ball is carrying a heavier scoring load after a season-high night against the Clippers, while Fox is the Spurs' most efficient scorer, a contrast that grows if Minnesota's guards tire on the second night of a back-to-back.

Best player props for Timberwolves vs. Spurs

Player Props to Watch

De'Aaron FoxSAS

Points + assistsOver 20.5

22.4Season avg

22.4Last 5 avg

5Games played

Fox has played 31.4 minutes a game, which leaves a line set below his scoring and passing average within comfortable reach.

LaMelo BallMIN

ReboundsUnder 4.5

2.5Season avg

2.6Last 5 avg

6Games played

Ball plays alongside Gobert and Joan Beringer, Minnesota's two leading rebounders, so a guard's total stays low.

Devin VassellSAS

Points + reboundsOver 15.5

16.6Season avg

16.6Last 5 avg

5Games played

Vassell has averaged 31.6 minutes and scored 21 points in the overtime win at Utah, so the line sits below his current output.

How do the Timberwolves and Spurs compare head-to-head?

The Spurs won the 2026 Western Conference semi-final 4-2 as the second seed against the sixth, taking Games 2, 3, 5 and 6.

Minnesota won Game 1 by 104-102 in San Antonio and Game 4 by 114-109 at home, but the Spurs closed the series out 139-109 in Minneapolis.

Game 2 produced the heaviest postseason defeat in Timberwolves history at 133-95, and Sunday's game is the first meeting since that series, with Randle and Reid gone from Minnesota and Ball and Kuminga in their place.

Timberwolves vs. Spurs prediction and tips

San Antonio should win, but they are 2-0 on the road and only 1-2 at home this season, and both of Minnesota's defeats came by five points or fewer, so the Timberwolves look a better bet to stay within the spread than to win outright.

The total should be reached, since Minnesota's pace and Ball's creation outweigh the tired legs, and Wembanyama gives the Spurs a dependable inside route to scoring, while Minnesota make 16.0 three-pointers a game, which gives Ball room to create.