SAN ANTONIO — Midway through this rugged second-round NBA playoff series for the San Antonio Spurs, in the first of what could well be many memorable postseason runs for Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old phenom was growing weary of the physical play he's been facing from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With one frustrated swing of his right elbow on Sunday night, Wembanyama changed the course of Game 4 — and perhaps the series.
Ejected after striking Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the throat early in the second quarter, Wembanyama was confined to watching his teammates admirably overcome his notable absence before fading down the stretch in a 114-109 defeat that evened the series at two games apiece.
“It was a whole lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, but that’s a part of the game,” said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who matched his career high with 24 points. “The next man has got to step up. I think we all did a great job of controlling what we can control.”
Wembanyama was swarmed by Reid and Jaden McDaniels after grabbing an offensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer. With McDaniels tugging on his left arm, Wembanyama snapped and jabbed his right arm back toward Reid — and struck him square in the neck.
Television replays showed Harper behind the scrum with a stunned expression, his mouth agape. McDaniels quickly bearhugged Wembanyama to try to avoid escalation, and the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama took a seat on the bench while the officials reviewed the video with the fans at Target Center chanting, “Kick him out!”
The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. That penalty triggers an automatic ejection, immediately swinging the balance of a pivotal game in the series toward the Timberwolves. The Spurs had the lead after their 115-108 win in Game 3 on Friday.
When the penalty was announced, Wembanyama appeared to ask teammate Harrison Barnes, "What does that mean?” He slapped hands with each of his Spurs teammates on his way off the floor, with the arena sound system blaring Michael Jackson's “Beat it!”
Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.
“I’m glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid — by all means, being very clear about that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “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.”
Johnson raised a concern beyond simply how the Timberwolves have been playing Wembanyama, who was the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.
“The level of physicality that opponents have been trying to impose on him since his first days in the league, combined with the lack of protection from the referees, is really disappointing,” Johnson said. "And to a certain extent, it’s starting to become downright nauseating.”
With Reid, Julius Randle and McDaniels in their frontcourt, the Timberwolves have had plenty of muscle and tenacity to send at Wembanyama, even if he's been good enough offensively to overcome it. He had 39 points on 13-for-18 shooting from the floor in Game 3.
“You never want anyone to get hurt, but you could see the frustration. I could see where he's coming from,” Harper said. “We've got his back, and I think he can learn from that, and he just knows not to do that again.”
Now the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday, with the league certain to assess the play for potential further punishment, but Johnson dismissed any concern about a suspension.
“There was zero intent," he said. "I think it would be ridiculous.”
Read on for our Game 4 blog.
End of game: Spurs 109, Timberwolves 114
The Spurs were not able to overcome Wemby's absence in Game 4, losing 114-109.
Both De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper off the bench had 24 points. Stephon Castle added 20 points.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards had a stellar game scoring 36 points. Naz Reid (15), Jaden McDaniels (14), and Julius Randle (12) rounded out the top scorers for Minnesota.
4Q, 0:10 remaining: Spurs 109, Timberwolves 113
Ayo Dosunmu caught a risky inbound pass, getting fouled in the process. He was able to hit two free throws, putting the Timberwolves up five. San Antonio calls timeout.
4Q, 0:29 remaining: Spurs 109, Timberwolves 112
Dylan Harper hit two free throws to put the Spurs down five. Then Harper was able to steal the ball, getting it to Julian Champagnie who drew a foul, hitting two free throws making the score 112-109.
4Q, 0:40 remaining: Spurs 105, Timberwolves 112
Naz Reid rebounded an Ayo Dosunmu miss, putting the ball back in for the 112-105 lead.
4Q, 1:12 remaining: Spurs 103, Timberwolves 110
A huge steal from Dylan Harper lead to free throws, trimming the lead to four. An and-one from Ayo Dosunmu put the Wolves up seven.
4Q, 2:00 remaining: Spurs 101, Timberwolves 107
Minnesota has stormed back, taking the lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to great plays from Anthony Edwards (36 points) and Julius Randle.
3Q, 4:06 remaining: Spurs 76, Timberwolves 68
Devin Vassell swished a jump shot to give San Antonio their biggest lead of the game so far. By this point, Minnesota has shot just 4-of-17 from the floor; the Silver & Black are capitalizing without their Defensive Player of the Year.
3Q, 8:35 remaining: Spurs 64, Timberwolves 64
An 8-4 run has the Spurs even with the Wolves as the third quarter gets underway.
With Wembanyama out, San Antonio has a tall order, although the team went 12-6 in the regular season when he sat out.
Halftime: Spurs: 56, Timberwolves: 60
Stephon Castle continues his hot start leading the way with 14 points for the Spurs. De'Aaron Fox has also asserted himself with 11 points.
Dylan Harper off the bench has also been big with 11 points.
For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards now has 18 points on 6-10 shooting.
4:21 left in 2Q: Spurs: 42, Timberwolves: 49
Without Wemby, Luke Kornet has stepped up in his place at the center position.
The Wolves have upped their lead to seven thanks to Anthony Edwards' 11 points.
Off the bench, rookie Dylan Harper is leading the way for the Spurs with 11 points.
8:39 left in 2Q: Wemby ejected: Spurs: 34, Timberwolves: 38
After being assessed a flagrant 1 foul, Victor Wembanyama has been ejected from the game. Wembanyama elbowed Wolves' center Naz Reid in the face.
He finished with four points and four rebounds.
End of 1Q: Spurs: 30, Timberwolves: 34
Both teams are hot after the first quarter,
1Q, 7:20 remaining: Spurs: 16, Timberwolves: 12
Unlike Game 3, both teams started making baskets, as the Spurs lead the Wolves 16-12 going into the first timeout.
Stephon Castle is leading the way with seven points on 3-3 shooting from the field, including one three-pointer.
Pregame
The Spurs lineup has been set.
While the game is in Minnesota, Spurs fans in the Alamo City packed the Rock at La Cantera to watch their team play.
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama is ready for the game following his masterful performance in Game 3.
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