Victor Wembanyama was ejected for the first time in his NBA career after elbowing an opponent, as the San Antonio Spurs lost 114-109 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Early in the second quarter, the 22-year-old French star grabbed a rebound from a missed Spurs three-point attempt and was protecting the ball when he turned and appeared to catch Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the jaw with his elbow. The officials initially called an offensive foul, but after a video review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 2 — an automatic ejection with a minimum $2,000 fine — for excessive contact above the neck.
When the ejection was announced, Wembanyama was seen asking teammate Harrison Barnes, “What does that mean?”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended his player afterward, saying while he did not condone the elbow, he was glad Wembanyama “took matters into his own hands.” Johnson added that he believed the 7-foot-4 star needs more protection from referees. “I’m glad Naz Reid is OK and I didn’t want him to elbow him. But he’s going to have to protect himself if no one else does for him. And I think it’s disgusting.”
Wembanyama finished with four points and four rebounds in just under 13 minutes of action. Teammates De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper each scored 24 points for the Spurs.
For the Timberwolves, Naz Reid contributed 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Their victory evened the best-of-seven series at 2-2 ahead of Game 5 in San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday.
“We never expected them just to go away,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They won a game in the Portland series without Wembanyama, so they’re a very good team.”
Also on Sunday, the New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 144-114 blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers, completing a 4-0 series sweep. Miles McBride scored 25 points, and Jalen Brunson added 22. The Knicks will face either the top-seeded Detroit Pistons or fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round.
