Wembanyama Ejected for Elbow on Reid in Game 4 Loss
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- Victor Wembanyama was ejected with 8:39 left in the second quarter after elbowing Naz Reid in the jaw and neck area; the foul was originally called an offensive foul and upgraded to a flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck after video review by referee Zach Zarba.
- Wembanyama finished with a career-low 4 points (regular season or playoffs) on 4 rebounds and 3 fouls in 13 minutes as the Spurs lost 114-109, with Reid sinking both free throws from the foul to give Minnesota a 38-34 lead as Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' played over the arena speakers.
- Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended Wembanyama, saying officials must better protect the 7-foot-4 star from opponents' 'physicality' and calling the situation 'disgusting,' while warning that further discipline from the league would be 'ridiculous.'
- Teammates De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper attributed the elbow to accumulated frustration from opponents grabbing Wembanyama, with Fox noting Reid and Jaden McDaniels had Wembanyama's left arm held before the contact and Harper saying, 'They keep grabbing me. I'm trying to protect myself because ain't no one else going to protect me.'
- Wembanyama's ejection is the earliest an All-Star has been tossed from a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98), per ESPN Research, and teams are now 1-8 when an All-Star is ejected from a playoff game before the fourth quarter.
- A flagrant 2 foul carries a minimum $2,000 fine and is reviewed by the league office for possible supplemental discipline; Wembanyama addressed teammates at halftime with the Spurs trailing 60-56, with guard Stephon Castle saying he was 'instilling confidence and staying in good spirits.'
Why it matters: Wembanyama's ejection is the earliest for an All-Star in a playoff game since 1997-98, and teams in that situation are historically 1-8 — a brutal slot for the Spurs heading into Game 5 at home. Beyond the game result, Wembanyama now faces a league review for possible supplemental discipline on top of a career-worst 4-point outing, raising the stakes for a 22-year-old franchise cornerstone in a tied series.
