Stephon Castle Powers Spurs Past Timberwolves, Sends San Antonio to Western Conference Finals.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Spurs are headed back to the Western Conference finals, and Stephon Castle made sure there would be no Game 7. Castle exploded for 32 points and 11 rebounds Friday night as San Antonio overwhelmed Minnesota 139-109 in Game 6, closing out the series with another commanding performance on both ends of the floor.

The rookie guard came out firing early, knocking down his first five attempts from beyond the arc and finishing 11-of-16 from the field. His scoring burst set the tone for a Spurs team that never allowed the Timberwolves to establish momentum in front of their home crowd.

De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists, while rookie Dylan Harper provided another spark off the bench with 15 points. San Antonio’s backcourt repeatedly attacked Minnesota’s defense in transition and from the perimeter, continuing a trend that defined the entire series. Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points in 27 minutes after back-to-back dominant outings earlier in the series. Although Minnesota focused heavily on limiting the 7-foot-4 star offensively, his presence around the rim continued to alter shots and discourage drives throughout the game. Julian Champagnie chipped in 18 points and connected on four 3-pointers as the Spurs buried the Timberwolves with efficient shooting and relentless pace.

San Antonio will now meet defending NBA champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals beginning Monday night. The Thunder reached the round after sweeping both of their first two playoff series.

Minnesota never seriously threatened after falling behind early. Anthony Edwards scored 24 points but struggled to find efficiency, shooting 9-for-26 from the floor against San Antonio’s switch-heavy defensive schemes. Bench contributors Terrence Shannon Jr. and Naz Reid combined for 39 points, but the Timberwolves received little production elsewhere.

Julius Randle managed only three points on 1-of-8 shooting in one of Minnesota’s worst offensive performances of the postseason. The loss marked another disappointing finish for a Timberwolves team that had entered the playoffs with championship hopes after consecutive deep postseason runs. Instead, San Antonio dominated the matchup from start to finish, outscoring Minnesota by 97 points over the six-game series and never trailing by double digits in any game.