There is an unspoken tradition in Minnesota Timberwolves playoff basketball, one that fans have reluctantly come to accept. Across the past three seasons, it has become almost a rite of passage a reset moment tucked somewhere inside every series the Wolves play. Game 2 of their current conference semifinal matchup against the San Antonio Spurs delivered that moment right on schedule. The Timberwolves dropped Game 2 to the San Antonio Spurs by 38 points, but history suggests this is far from a death sentence for the series
The Spurs dismantled Minnesota 133-95, leveling the best of seven series at one game apiece and raising the familiar, uncomfortable questions about whether this team has the mental fortitude to compete at the highest level. The margin was unforgiving, and the box score offered little comfort. The Timberwolves managed just 35 points in the first half as San Antonio closed out the second quarter on a 31-13 run, turning a competitive game into a rout by halftime. The score at the break read 59-35.
Seven straight series, seven blowouts
For those counting, this latest collapse continued an extraordinary and not in a good way stretch. Going back to the second round of the 2024 playoffs, the Timberwolves have now absorbed at least one blowout in seven consecutive playoff series. The list reads like a recurring nightmare for Minnesota faithful.
In the 2024 second round against Denver, the Wolves lost by 27 points at home in Game 3.
Against Dallas in 2024, a blowout in a season ending Game 5 sent them home early.
Facing the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025, they trailed by 22 points in the third quarter of Game 2.
Against Golden State in 2025, Minnesota fell behind by 25 points in the third quarter of Game 1.
Oklahoma City in 2025 handed them two blowouts, in Games 1 and 5.
In the 2026 first round against Denver, they trailed by as many as 23 points in a Game 5 loss.
And now, San Antonio in 2026, a 38-point drubbing in Game 2.
The pattern is undeniable. What is equally undeniable is that the Wolves have survived every single one of those moments until they didn’t. And in most cases, they did survive.
The numbers behind the collapse
The shooting performance in Game 2 told the full story of the night. Minnesota connected on just 35 of 88 field goal attempts, hit only 9 of 30 three pointers, and struggled at the free throw line, converting 16 of 31, bringing their series total to 28 of 52 from the stripe.
Star guard Anthony Edwards went 5 of 13 from the field. Julius Randle managed 4 of 10. Terrence Shannon Jr. shot 4 of 12, while Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert each went 1 of 4. Ayo Dosunmu finished 0 of 4, and Bones Hyland was 0 of 3. The Wolves emptied their bench with eight minutes remaining, with a lineup featuring Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Clark, Julian Phillips, Joe Ingles and rookie Joan Beringer taking the floor.
The two bright spots on the night were Jaden McDaniels, who went 6 of 10, and Naz Reid, who shot 4 of 7 off the bench. Both were largely irrelevant by the time the final buzzer approached.
Reason to believe heading home
Here is what does matter heading into the rest of the series: Minnesota stole home court advantage by winning Game 1. Games 3 and 4 now shift to Minneapolis, where the Timberwolves were dominant in the first round against the Nuggets, winning all three home games by margins of 17, 16, and 12 points. The Target Center crowd has proven to be a genuine factor.
Even in the first round against Denver, the Wolves lost Game 2 badly they committed 25 turnovers and still managed to win the series. A similar bounce back is not only possible, it is part of their established identity.
Game 3 tips off Friday at 8:45 p.m. CT in Minneapolis. For a team that has turned blowout survival into something of an art form, this is familiar territory.
