Victor Wembanyama had played nearly a full season in the NBA without ever being thrown out of a game. That streak ended Sunday in Minneapolis, where an elbow to Naz Reid's jaw during a rebound scramble got him ejected for the first time in his career as the Timberwolves leveled their playoff series with a 114-109 victory.
The 7-foot-4 Spurs star was initially whistled for an offensive foul when he made contact with Reid, who had converged on him along with Jaden McDaniels after Wembanyama grabbed a rebound. But after the referees reviewed the play with Minnesota's Target Center crowd chanting "Kick him out," the call was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck, triggering the automatic ejection.
Wembanyama appeared genuinely bewildered by the decision. As the penalty was announced, he turned to teammate Harrison Barnes and asked, "What does that mean?" He then slapped hands with his Spurs teammates before walking off the floor as Michael Jackson's "Beat It" played through the arena speakers.
The sequence left Wembanyama with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in just 13 minutes of play. He had been dominant before the ejection, finishing Game 3 on Friday with 39 points on 13-for-18 shooting. Reid made both resulting free throws to extend Minnesota's lead to 38-34, and the Timberwolves held on down the stretch as Anthony Edwards scored 36 points, including 15 in the final quarter.
San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson stopped short of defending his star player's action but shifted blame toward the officiating and the physicality Wembanyama faces nightly. "He's going to have to protect himself if the referees are not," Johnson said. "It's disgusting. I just think that the amount of physicality that people play with him at some level you have to protect yourself."
Johnson added that the ejection would be "ridiculous" if it led to further discipline. "There was zero intent," the coach said, indicating he believes his star player's elbow strike was accidental contact in a scramble, not a deliberate blow.
The Timberwolves' depth in their frontcourt, including Reid, Julius Randle and McDaniels, has given them multiple bodies to throw at Wembanyama throughout the series. Reid finished with 15 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota closed out the game strongly despite some defensive lapses without their opponent's star player on the court.
Game 5 tips off in San Antonio on Tuesday. The NBA is expected to announce Monday whether it will impose any additional penalties on Wembanyama beyond the ejection.
Author James Rodriguez: "Wembanyama's confusion about a Flagrant 2 call suggests he's still adjusting to how the league polices contact, but there's a real conversation here about whether Minnesota's physical defense went too far first."
Comments