After being ejected in Game 4, Wembanyama received no further punishment and will be available for the Spurs in Game 5.
The storyline for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals got a bit derailed by an ejection to San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after elbowing Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid. Wembanyama received a flagrant 2 foul for excessive contact, subject to league review. Quickly, the NBA released their decision that they will not be issuing further discipline to Wemby for the Sunday ejection, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and he will be eligible and expected to play in Game 5 on Tuesday in San Antonio.
It’s major news for the Spurs as they look to climb back and take a lead in the series after falling 114-109 in Game 4 with the Timberwolves tying up the series 2-2. The foul came on a missed three-pointer that Wembanyama rebounded and was quickly blanketed by Reid and Jaden McDaniels, causing Wemby to throw the elbow that landed on Reid’s right jaw and neck and sent him down to the floor. It was originally an offensive foul before it was upgraded due to excessive contact above the neck seen on video review by referee Zach Zarba, a call that triggers an automatic ejection under league rules.
It led to the earliest ejection of an All-Star in the play-by-play era and added to a 1-8 record of teams that see their All-Star ejected ahead of the fourth quarter in the playoffs. Thankfully for San Antonio, that absence won’t linger.
To read more about the major call by the league ahead of Game 5, here’s the full story from Spurs Roundtable writer Aiden Kauffman.
It’s a significant boost for the Spurs, as Wemby’s absence for three quarters showed in the Game 4 loss. He finished with a career-low four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. With the series even, the focus will shift to Game 5 where San Antonio hopes for a full game from Wemby and a reclaiming of the series lead at home.