SAN ANTONIO – Play-off experience is lived and learnt, a concept the Spurs are tired of hearing about.

San Antonio are reaching for the mute button entering Game 2 of the best-of-seven NBA Western Conference play-off, semi-final series with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday (Thursday morning, Singapore time, who landed the first punch to take a 1-0 lead on the Spurs’ home floor on Monday.

“It’s on me,” Spurs’ MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama said after a dominant defensive performance in the 104-102 loss.

Minnesota won largely because of a lackluster shooting night from San Antonio.

Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, the top two scorers for the Spurs during the regular season, combined for 21 points on 10-of-31 shooting.

The pair missed all 12 of their three-point attempts; Wembanyama was 0-for-8. He walked off the floor in disbelief as the Spurs lost at home for the second time in six games this post-season.

“I used too much energy (on defence) and things that didn’t really help our team,” he said. “So that’s on me. But first thing I have to start making some shots.”

Essentially, Minnesota’s play-off legs held up.

“We know it’s going to be a hard-fought series,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “That team has success in the play-offs in recent history. They just go through a hard-fought series. They obviously showed the mettle that they have. It’s going to be a fight.”

Comparatively, the Spurs are shooting for a post-season run for the first time since 2019. As the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, they entered Game 1 and the series as the prevailing favorite.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch told his team to continue being the aggressors on the day off on Tuesday, when he shared the opinion that the team’s film breakdown of Game 1 told a little bit different story about Wembanyama’s big night.