The Timberwolves Were Elbowed And Kicked Back Into The Series | Defector

"How about Victor Wembanyama, never one to display much more emotion on the court than a serene intensity, briefly channeling his inner Artest and attempting to decapitate Naz Reid with a high-velocity elbow. This happened early in the second quarter, and the length of the review process suggested that officials were searching for any way to keep one of the league's marquee stars in the game, but no replay angle of the elbow offered anything other than malicious intent. Wemby was slapped with a Flagrant 2 foul, and had to be told by teammate Harrison Barnes that the penalty meant he was ejected from the game."

"During his postgame comments, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson more or less confirmed what everyone saw: Wemby lashed out because he is tired of being bumped and bruised by opponents who see physical harassment as their best option for trying to contain his talents. "If the people that are in charge of controlling the game and protecting the physicality of the game don't do that, then at some point he's going to have to protect himself," said Johnson. "At some point it's starting to get actually disgusting, just in terms of what he tries to fight through, and be professional and mature and deal with some of that stuff. I'm glad he took matters into his own hands.""

"It remains to be seen if Wembanyama's elbow pays any dividends for him and the Spurs down the line, but from a neutral perspective his ejection couldn't have come at a better time. The 39 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks he put up in San Antonio's Game 3 victory communicated a feeling of inevitability, and it was starting to feel like the Spurs were going t"

Minnesota beat San Antonio 114-109 in Game 4 of the postseason, delivering high-level play plus unusual drama. Early in the second quarter, Victor Wembanyama attempted to decapitate Naz Reid with a high-velocity elbow, prompting a lengthy review. No replay angle supported anything other than malicious intent, resulting in a Flagrant 2 foul and Wembanyama’s ejection. Harrison Barnes told him the penalty meant he was out. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama lashed out because opponents physically harass him and officials do not adequately protect the game’s physicality. Johnson suggested Wembanyama felt forced to protect himself. The ejection arrived after a dominant Game 3 performance by Wembanyama.

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