16 hours ago - Sports

Wembanyama avoids suspension after elbow-throwing uproar

Madalyn Mendoza

Close-up of a male basketball player in a white San Antonio Spurs jersey (number 1) with black trim, looking upward, against a dark arena background. — Spurs player Victor Wembanyama during Game 4. Photo: David Berding/Getty Images

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will play in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to a published report.

Why it matters: A flurry of speculation surrounded Wembanyama's availability after his Game 4 ejection Sunday for a Flagrant 2 foul when he elbowed Timberwolves center-forward Naz Reid in the neck early in the second quarter.

State of play: Minnesota squeaked out a Game 4 win against a Wembanyama-less Spurs squad. The series heads to San Antonio tied 2-2.

The NBA had not issued a public ruling as of Monday afternoon, but sources told ESPN insider Shams Charania that Wembanyama will avoid a suspension and any further discipline.

What they're saying: Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said he didn't want Wembanyama throwing an elbow but called the officiating "disgusting."

ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jay Williams said the play was the kind of moment where "you're going to stand up for yourself."
Former NBA star Paul Pierce said the play should have been ruled a regular flagrant foul.

The other side: ESPN analyst and 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins wanted Wembanyama suspended.

"They better (suspend him). And if they don't, it's going to be a horrible look on (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver and the NBA if they allow him to get away with this," Perkins said on "First Take."

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Wembanyama avoids suspension after elbow-throwing uproar

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