MINNEAPOLIS — Carter Bryant doesn’t care how many minutes he logs so long as he has an impact.

“The biggest thing is just winning,” he said. “How can I impact winning?”

In a back-alley brawl of a playoff game, the 20-year-old rookie forward did just that, registering six points on 2-of-2 from 3-point territory and a plus-7 rating in just eight minutes of the Spurs’ 115-108 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Bryant entered the game in the second period with a serene mindset.

“For myself, it’s just understanding there’s nothing that’s going to go down on that floor hopefully that’s going to be harmful to you as a human being,” the Californian said. “So you just understand the ebbs and flows of the game, the ups and downs of the game. It’s basketball. It’s the same game I’ve been playing since I’ve been 5, 6 years old.”

With his mind at ease, Bryant met the moment. His two field goals from distance came in the span of 1:35 in the second quarter when the Spurs and Timberwolves were going back and forth on their way to a 51-51 tie at halftime.

“I think the biggest thing is just coming in and just doing my job,” Bryant told the San Antonio Express-News. “Sometimes it calls for me to hit those two shots. Sometimes I miss those two shots, but I’m playing spectacular defense on the other end. So it’s just understanding you can’t allow yourself to get out of the game. Just something as simple as that.”

Carter’s effort was a bounce-back performance of sorts after he ended Game 2 on a sour note by missing a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ 133-95 win on Wednesday at the Frost Bank Center. 

“It’s basketball. Stuff’s going to go your way, stuff’s not going to go your way,” he said. “You have to keep going.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Friday’s game was an example of the 14th overall pick doing exactly what the coaching staff wants from him.

“When he plays with activity, physicality and clarity, and the clarity is to play physical and to play aggressive, he’s great,” Johnson said. “We aren’t looking for him to be a decision-maker where he’s processing layered reads and figuring out how to navigate exotic schemes. We want him to play fast and direct and physical and he’s doing that and he’s talented.

“So then the ball finds him and he makes some shots and he gets out and he gets to dunk off a cut. Those things that happen when you do some of the fundamentals and the simple things and he’s continued to trust that and he’s had success in that. And it’s pretty remarkable when he looks around the league and he’s a rookie playing meaningful minutes in a playoff series.”

Minnesota coach Chris Finch and referee Tony Brothers got into a heated exchange in the fourth quarter.

Finch’s players stepped in to separate the two.

“I wanted the timeout, and I said I want my three seconds back. He clearly heard me. He looked my way and ignored me, went on with the play, almost cost us a turnover,” Finch said in his postgame media session. “He lost it.

“Then I went to ask him where the ball was going to be taken in, and he was screaming at me for that. So, completely unprofessional behavior by him.”

Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards downplayed the altercation.

“It’s competition at the highest level,” Edwards said. “We want to win. Finchy wants to win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers. We all love him, so it’s all good here.”

The Spurs’ Stephon Castle and the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels also had a short dustup in the second half, with each picking up a technical foul after they squared off with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

It was Castle’s second technical foul of the playoffs. The second-year guard and Portland All-Star Deni Avdija got his with double technicals for their altercation late in Game 4 in the first round. 

After Minnesota’s 133-95 loss in Game 2, Edwards predicted Timberwolves fans would be “turnt up” for Game 3 at Target Center.
                                                                                                                                        
“They gonna be falling all over drunk as hell. They gonna be loud as hell in there,” the All-Star guard said. 

He was right, but the Spurs weren’t fazed.

“Road games. It’s always loud. It’s always obnoxious,” forward Devin Vassell said. “Every single time they go on a run, they’re always going crazy. So, to be able to shut those runs down, be able to quiet them and ultimately come out with a win, you got to love it.”

The win was the Spurs’ first in Minneapolis since Oct. 24, 2022, snapping a seven-game losing streak at Target Center.

The Spurs are 3-0 on the road in the playoffs after going 29-12 away from the Frost Bank Center in the regular season. 

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama flashed his sense of humor when asked about the fresh scratches on his body after Friday’s game.

“It’s gonna happen. They’re wolves, after all,” he quipped after his monster 39-point, 15-rebound, five-block performance.