Victor Wembanyama avoids suspension for elbow on Naz Reid, will play in pivotal Game 5
Victor Wembanyama’s first career ejection will not have a suspension included, as the NBA decided not to dock the San Antonio Spurs big man for the elbow he threw on Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinals series.
Wembanyama will be available for Game 5 of the series, which is set for Tuesday night, per ESPN.
Wembanyama was originally issued an offensive foul after hitting Reid in the face with his elbow while being double-teamed in the corner after securing a rebound. But video review saw the elbow hit Reid square in his jaw and neck, which sent him to the hardwood.
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Officials announced that Wembanyama’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. As a result, it’s an automatic ejection.
The ejection came with just 8:39 left in the second quarter, which marked the earliest an NBA All-Star had been ejected from a playoff game since 1997-98, per ESPN Research.
Wembanyama, an MVP candidate, can’t be replicated on the court for the Spurs, who eventually lost to the Timberwolves, 114-109, to even up the series at two games apiece heading into Game 5.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson used his postgame press conference to defend the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, specifically the level of physicality Wembanyama gets from opponents during games.
"Just the amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level, you have to protect yourself," he said, via ESPN. "Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on you. He's gotten pushed down in transition, running freely. We don't complain because we're just going to play. We don't really give a s---. But at some stage, he should be protected. If not, he's going to have to protect himself, and unfortunately, stuff like that happens.
"It's starting to get disgusting in terms of when he tries to fight through things, be professional and mature and deal with some of that stuff. I'm glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid, but he's going to have to protect himself if they're not. And I think it's disgusting."
Johnson added that there was "zero intent" on Wembanyama’s elbow to Reid’s face, believing that a Game 5 suspension "would be ridiculous." But it was always the league’s decision in the end.
Ultimately, they decided Johnson’s stance was correct, and Wembanyama will be on the court with his teammates in a pivotal Game 5 as the series returns to San Antonio on Tuesday night.
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