Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs now have a discipline problem to manage as well as a scoreboard problem after the New York Knicks' 107-106 comeback win in NBA Finals Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Wembanyama Flagrant Adds To Spurs Game 4 Collapse
CBS Sports reported that Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant 1 foul in the third quarter Wednesday for elbowing Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns in the face. The call came during a game San Antonio had led by as many as 29 points before New York completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, and Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday in San Antonio. New York can win its first NBA title since 1973 with one more victory, while the Spurs need three straight wins to extend their season.
OG Anunoby supplied the final blow in Game 4, scoring 33 points, hitting 7 of 9 from 3-point range and making the running putback with 1.2 seconds left. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 36 points. Those numbers already made the night painful for San Antonio. Wembanyama's flagrant foul makes the next game more delicate.
NBA Flagrant Points Put Wembanyama Near Suspension
Under NBA postseason rules cited by CBS Sports, a player is automatically suspended for one game after accumulating four flagrant foul points in a single postseason. Wembanyama entered Game 4 with two points from a second-round incident against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he elbowed Naz Reid in the neck.
The Game 4 foul against Towns would move Wembanyama to three flagrant foul points if it stands after review. One more flagrant foul would trigger a suspension. A flagrant in Game 5 would make him unavailable for Game 6, while a flagrant in Game 6 would rule him out of a potential Game 7.
CBS Sports also noted that the NBA said a common foul should have been called on Wembanyama's shove of Jalen Brunson in Game 3, but that play was not upgraded. Had it been upgraded and the Game 4 flagrant stood, Wembanyama would already be facing a Game 5 suspension.
Knicks-Spurs Game 5 Carries Another Constraint
The basketball issue for San Antonio is straightforward enough: the Spurs need Wembanyama aggressive, especially with the series shifting back to Texas and the Knicks one win from the championship. The disciplinary issue is less forgiving. His margin is now one whistle.
That does not mean Wembanyama can avoid contact. The NBA Finals rarely permit that kind of neat solution, particularly against a Knicks team using Towns, Brunson and Anunoby to attack different parts of the floor. But San Antonio cannot afford a reckless reach, late elbow or frustration foul from its franchise player.
The Spurs already lost a 29-point lead, a 107-106 game and control of the NBA Finals in one night. If Wembanyama picks up another flagrant, they could lose him too.