While Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns were going back and forth on the perimeter in the third quarter of Game 4, Wembanyama’s elbow smashed up and hit Towns right in the jaw. The referees stopped play, reviewed the contact, and handed Wembanyama a Flagrant 1 foul.
Though it was not a deliberate foul, the factor of intention hardly matters at this point of the series. Besides the two free throws that it awarded the Knicks, the call instantly changed the situation, and Spurs fans were well aware of the reason even before the announcement.
Victor Wembanyama Gets Flagrant 1 Foul on Karl-Anthony Towns in NBA Finals Game 4
One More Mistake Could Sideline Wembanyama as Spurs Receive Tough News
SNY Knicks reported on the play, noting that “Victor Wembanyama gets a flagrant one for an elbow on Karl-Anthony Towns. Wembanyama is one flagrant foul point away from a one-game suspension.”
Wembanyama had accumulated two flagrant foul points during the postseason before Game 4, these were two from a Flagrant 2 foul on Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the second round. This Flagrant 1 on Towns increased his tally to three points.
It is worth remembering that the NBA had already reviewed his shove on Jalen Brunson from Game 3 and chose not to upgrade it to a flagrant. Had they done so, Wembanyama would have entered Game 4 already at three points, and this elbow on Towns would have triggered an immediate suspension.
Keep in mind that the NBA had already looked into his shove of Jalen Brunson in Game 3 and decided not to make it a flagrant. If they had done so, Wembanyama would have been at three points before Game 4, and this elbow on Towns would have resulted in an immediate suspension.
What Wembanyama’s Flagrant Foul Total Means for the San Antonio Spurs Going Forward
GettySpurs Fans Alarmed After Victor Wembanyama’s Game 4 Flagrant Call
For a Spurs team already dealing with officiating drama all series long, this is the last thing they needed. Wembanyama is the centerpiece of everything San Antonio runs, and missing even one Finals game could shift the entire series.
The Buffer is now almost completely gone. One more careless elbow, one moment of unnecessary physicality, and San Antonio’s best player watches from the bench.
The Draymond Green comparison is already floating around. Green was suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 Finals after accumulating flagrant foul points, and that suspension played a significant role in how that series ended. Nobody in San Antonio wants to be having that conversation right now.
Wembanyama was dominant for long stretches of Game 4, and the Spurs built a commanding lead. But going deeper into this series, staying clean is going to matter just as much as anything he does on the offensive end.
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