The Minnesota Timberwolves wound up losing their Western Conference semifinals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. But they had a glimmer of hope when Victor Wembanyama was ejected from a Game 4 victory after committing a Flagrant 2 foul.
Wembanyama’s elbow to Naz Reid became a massive storyline when he missed the second half of Minnesota’s 114-109 victory on May 10. While that act set up a pivotal Game 5 in the series, the Timberwolves ran out of gas while simultaneously awakening a demon on the court.
In the three games since his ejection, Wembanyama has averaged 29.0 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 blocks since he was tossed in Minneapolis.
While the broadcasts of those games and the Spurs' coaching staff have portrayed Wembanyama as a wronged hero, his play has been deserving of celebration and could make the Timberwolves one of the central figures of this year’s playoff run despite being eliminated.
Victor Wembanyama has gone nuclear after getting ejected vs. Timberwolves
Wembanyama’s tear began as the Wolves headed to San Antonio for Game 5 and he didn’t take long to announce his presence. He went 6-for-8 from the floor including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers as part of a 16-point performance in the first quarter and he finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a 126-97 victory.
Game 6 was more of a casual effort for Wembanyama as he finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks. But ESPN’s Michael C. Wright noted that he joined David Robinson as the only players to have at least 200 points, 100 rebounds and 40 blocks through his first 10 playoff games since blocks became an official statistic in 1974.
This set the stage for Wembanyama to go nuclear for the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night. Taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, Wembanyama scored 41 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, blocked three shots and dished out three assists in a 122-115 double overtime victory. But his statline didn’t even describe how locked in he was, draining a 27-foot 3-pointer to tie the game with 27 seconds to play in overtime to eventually force a second overtime.
The tear gets even more ridiculous when looking at Wembanyama’s shooting numbers. While he’s shooting just 33.3 percent on 3-pointers, he’s been unstoppable inside the arc with a 60.5 percent clip on 2-pointers. He’s also making 83.9 percent of his free throws while averaging 10.3 attempts per game.
Even Timberwolves fans, who may have “Wemby fatigue” at this point of the playoffs, had to laugh watching Wembanyama go Super Saiyan on the Thunder in Game 1 and it sets up an intriguing matchup as both teams get ready for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
But it’s also a wake-up call to realize Minnesota has a big task on its hands getting past Wembanyama and Reid’s jaw may be to blame as they look to make a big move to catch up with the Spurs this summer.
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