Victor Wembanyama ejected from Game 4 for elbowing Naz Reid

MINNEAPOLIS – San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama experienced his first career ejection Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals after throwing an elbow at the jaw of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid early in the second quarter.

While Spurs coach Mitch Johnson didn’t condone Wembanyama’s actions, he said after San Antonio’s 114-109 loss that officials could do a better job of protecting the 22-year-old big man from the “physicality” routinely imposed on him by opponents.

“Just the amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level, you have to protect yourself,” Johnson said after the Spurs’ defeat, which evened the series at 2-2 ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 in San Antonio. "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.”

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ejected after committing a flagrant foul 2 against Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 in Minneapolis. Bruce Kluckhohn/Imagn Images

Wembanyama was whistled for an offensive foul as soon as he struck Reid, who had swarmed the NBA Defensive Player of the Year outside the paint along with Wolves teammate Jaden McDaniels after the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama rebounded a missed 3-pointer by the Spurs.

After a video review of the hit – which caught Reid on the right side of his jaw and neck area, sending him spinning and crashing to the floor – referee Zach Zarba announced the foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. That penalty triggers an automatic ejection.

“His left arm was being held, and I think everybody’s taught [to] chin [the] ball,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said. “But those things happen. I think if the foul is called [before that], it probably never happens.”

Sitting on the bench when the penalty was announced, Wembanyama appeared to ask teammate Harrison Barnes, “What does that mean?”

After Wembanyama 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,” Reid sank both free throws to give the Timberwolves a 38-34 lead. Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.

“You could see the frustration,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “I don’t think it was intentional. It was more like, ‘They keep grabbing me. I’m trying to protect myself because ain’t no one else going to protect me.’”

Wembanyama’s four points are his fewest in any game of his career, in the regular season or the playoffs. The third-year player remained in the locker room after his ejection, but he did not speak with the media following the game.

Wembanyama did, however, address teammates at halftime in the locker room with the Spurs trailing 60-56.

“[He was] just instilling confidence and just staying in good spirits even though he was out of the game,” San Antonio guard Stephon Castle said.

Wembanyama’s ejection with 8:39 left in the second quarter is the earliest an All-Star has been tossed from a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98), according to ESPN Research, and teams have now gone 1-8 when an All-Star is ejected from a playoff game before the fourth quarter.

A flagrant foul 2 carries a minimum fine of $2,000 and is reviewed by the league office for possible supplemental discipline.

“They did what they did because of the outcome of the play,” Johnson said. “So be it. But to have anything on top of that I think would be ridiculous.”