Timberwolves vs Spurs live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs Game 5

Timberwolves vs Spurs live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs Game 5 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Minnesota and San Antonio will be the lone NBA playoff game of the night.

Game 5 is always an important game in any seven-game series. The winner of game 5 historically have gone on to win the series over 80% of the time (164-34 or 82. 8%).

Maybe even more that who won Game 4, most people will remember Victor Wembanyama's Bill Russell-Esque elbow. As the story goes, Red Auerbach once told Bill Russell to throw one good elbow. Russell did not want to do that.

"Throw one good elbow tonight and I promise you'll never have to do it again," Auerbach said. Russell threw that elbow and defenses no longer went and Russell as they used to. Wembanyama was ejected for the 'throat check' elbow thrown and Minnesota capitalized on that ejection.