<p>The Spurs arrived in Minnesota with a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semifinals, and led throughout a victory that sets up a tantalising showdown series with the reigning champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>Stephon Castle led Friday's wire-to-wire win with 32 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11-of-16 from the field, ably backed up by De'Aaron Fox and French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who added 21 and 19 apiece.</p><p>It is the first time a revitalised San Antonio has reached the conference finals since 2017. While the Thunder are heavy favourites for another championship, the dangerous Spurs enjoyed a 4-1 record against Oklahoma City in the regular season.</p><p><strong>"We don't really care about the outside noise. We knew that we were ahead of schedule, probably in December of last year," said Castle.</strong></p><p><strong>"We know it's going to be tough to knock them off, but I think we're pretty confident we can do it," he added.</strong></p><p>The Spurs got off to a fantastic start, tearing ahead in the first quarter, dominant in the paint and led by a rampant Castle.</p><p>Just when it was looking ugly for the Timberwolves, they fought back, their aggression spearheaded by star man Anthony Edwards.</p><p>But from a 74-61 half-time lead, the Spurs roared clear in the third quarter, successfully double-teaming Edwards to shut down Minnesota's most potent threat.</p><p>By the end of the third quarter, San Antonio enjoyed an insurmountable 26-point lead, their 56% shooting accuracy far outstripping the opposition.</p><p>At a timeout with eight minutes remaining, a 25-point deficit on the board, and both teams preparing to send out their benches for the remaining minutes, Edwards walked over to pre-emptively congratulate the Spurs on their resounding win.</p><p>Check out the game summary with Flashscore.</p>