In Round One of the NBA playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs lost home-court advantage to the Portland Trail Blazers, and then won two road games to take a 3-1 lead. Now the Spurs find themselves in a similar situation, with the chance to go up 3-1 on the Minnesota Timberwolves before heading back to San Antonio with a chance to win the series.
Minnesota
Detroit Tigers game vs. Minnesota Twins: Time, TV channel for series finale
Detroit Tigers (11-10) vs. Minnesota Twins (7-12)
When: 2:10 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Target Field in Minneapolis.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1). (Tigers radio affiliates).
Weather report: High of 62 degrees, mostly sunny, 10-20 mph winds.
Probable pitchers: Tigers RHP Casey Mize (0-0, 4.11 ERA) vs. Twins RHP Louie Varland (0-3, 8.36 ERA)
• Box score
Tigers lineup: TBD.
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Game notes: The Detroit Tigers were able to get off to a good start in the record department despite ranking near the bottom of almost every offensive metric. They did so with good starting pitching, a lights-out bullpen, and rock-solid defense all over the diamond.
In the last few games, the Tigers’ offense has seemed to finally start to wake up from their winter slumber, but the defense has caused major issues lately. The issue first flared up in the Tigers’ 5-4 loss to the Rangers on April 17 in which they committed three errors. The next day, the Tigers made three more errors against the Rangers again, eventually losing 9-7. In the current series against the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers have committed three more errors, including a very costly one by first baseman Spencer Torkelson that led to two runs on Saturday as the Tigers lost to the Twins, 4-3.
So if you do a little math, the Tigers have committed nine errors over the last four games. For the entire season, the Tigers have made 15 errors as a team, including the nine in the last four days.
Under manager A.J. Hinch, the Tigers are a team that prioritizes defense and with a few exceptions, there really aren’t a lot of weak links in the field. Unfortunately for the Tigers, one of those weak links is Torkelson, who has been responsible for two of the most costly errors in the last four games. Last year, Torkelson was worth minus-11 defensive runs saved at first base and entering Saturday’s game, he was already worth minus-3 DRS this season, as Our’ Evan Petzold wrote following the loss to the Twins. Still, Hinch remains confident in his young first baseman.
“Maybe he took his eye off the ball, but Tork’s fine,” Hinch said. “He obviously made a great play down the line on the pop up (in the seventh inning).”
After Sunday’s game, the Tigers head to Florida for a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays before an off-day Thursday and then a home game against the Kansas City Royal that will coincide with Day 2 of the NFL draft.
Live updates
For updates from and around the diamond, check it out on X.
Iowa City (Iowa) Regina linebacker Tate Wallace committed to Minnesota on Sunday. The 6-2, 226-pounder from the class of 2027 chose the Golden Gophers over offers from Arizona State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and many others.
Victor Wembanyama’s heroics helped the Spurs take a 2-1 lead in a 115-108 victory. Much like the first game of the series, Game Three was defined by back-and-forth play and tough defense. It wasn’t until Wembanyama took over in the fourth quarter that a clear winner emerged. Minnesota desperately needs a win at home to avoid going down 3-1, so expect another physical game with a large sense of urgency from the Wolves.
San Antonio’s strategy of playing fast on offense, pestering the Wolves’ ball-handlers on the perimeter with full-court pressure and doubles, while funneling everything to Wembanyama in the paint, has worked so far. Minnesota’s head coach, Chris Finch, is one of the best in the business. He’ll certainly have adjustments to counter the strategies that have worked for the Spurs.
This series has been pretty close through three games. Game Four should be no different. San Antonio can put itself in a great position to win the series by stealing another game on the road.
May 10th, 2026 | 6:30 PM CT
Watch: Peacock / NBC | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: No injuries to report.
Timberwolves Injuries: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles)
Winning the possession battle
The Timberwolves took 14 more shots than the Spurs in Game Three. It’s rare to win a game where you lose the possession battle so brutally. Minnesota had 15 offensive rebounds compared to the Spurs’ 8. A lot of those offensive rebounds were long or contested 50/50 balls. If San Antonio had eliminated those second-change opportunities, the margin of victory may have been wider.
A great example of that was Game Two, when the Spurs forced 22 turnovers and grabbed more offensive rebounds, leading to a blowout. The Wolves have struggled to shoot the ball well in the series. Giving them easy opportunities and extra possessions is allowing them to make up for this weakness. The Spurs have to secure the defensive glass and take care of the ball to give themselves some more cushion in Game Four.
De’Aaron Fox’s shotmaking
San Antonio’s All-Star guard has been hot and cold in this series. He shot poorly in Games One and Three, but had a nice stat line in Game Two. Fox is averaging 18 points on 46.3% shooting in the playoffs overall. He, for the most part, has stepped up when the Spurs needed him this postseason. It’s been harder for him to get to the rim with guys like Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards guarding him on the perimeter, and Rudy Gobert roaming the paint.
Wembanyama is sure to draw a lot of attention in Game Four. San Antonio is going to need another player to step up and take on some of the scoring load. Fox is the best equipped to do that.
Minnesota’s Wembanyama game plan
Wembanyama has dominated this series. Something has to change for Minnesota to minimize his impact. Will they play Gobert more minutes? Start sending doubles earlier? Give the Spurs more open three-pointers to prohibit him from scoring inside? On offense, will the Wolves look to generate more threes to avoid going at Wembanyama in the paint? Whatever adjustments Chris Finch makes will be important to watch for in Game Four.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Wild returns to Saint Paul tonight, taking on the Avalanche at Grand Casino Arena for the first time in the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The following lineup is a projection and is subject to change:
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