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Victor Wembanyama announced his return early Tuesday night.
The San Antonio Spurs star, ejected in the second quarter of Game 4 after elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid, scored 18 points in the first quarter and had 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots as the Spurs led the Timberwolves 59-47 at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The NBA declined to suspend Wembanyama. He missed the final 33-plus minutes of Game 4, which was considered sufficient punishment.
With that reprieve, Wembanyama made clear he had no intention of lying low in Game 5 with the series tied 2-2.
He had nine of San Antonio’s first 17 points, capped by a driving slam that sent the Frost Bank Center crowd into a frenzy. He finished the first quarter on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds. He became just the third player in the last 30 years to score 18 points and grab six rebounds in the first quarter of a playoff game, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokic, according to Stathead.
The Spurs then opened the second quarter on an 11-3 run to push the lead to 18.
The night had extra resonance.
A game after Wembanyama was tossed for a flagrant foul in Minnesota, Rudy Gobert picked up a flagrant of his own in the first quarter for landing a foot under Wembanyama on a jumper. Wembanyama shook it off and kept going. Reid picked up a technical foul in the second quarter for a shove in Wembanyama's back after a boxout.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victor Wembanyama stats, Timberwolves vs Spurs box score from Game 5
Continue reading...
The San Antonio Spurs star, ejected in the second quarter of Game 4 after elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid, scored 18 points in the first quarter and had 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots as the Spurs led the Timberwolves 59-47 at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The NBA declined to suspend Wembanyama. He missed the final 33-plus minutes of Game 4, which was considered sufficient punishment.
With that reprieve, Wembanyama made clear he had no intention of lying low in Game 5 with the series tied 2-2.
He had nine of San Antonio’s first 17 points, capped by a driving slam that sent the Frost Bank Center crowd into a frenzy. He finished the first quarter on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds. He became just the third player in the last 30 years to score 18 points and grab six rebounds in the first quarter of a playoff game, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokic, according to Stathead.
The Spurs then opened the second quarter on an 11-3 run to push the lead to 18.
The night had extra resonance.
A game after Wembanyama was tossed for a flagrant foul in Minnesota, Rudy Gobert picked up a flagrant of his own in the first quarter for landing a foot under Wembanyama on a jumper. Wembanyama shook it off and kept going. Reid picked up a technical foul in the second quarter for a shove in Wembanyama's back after a boxout.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victor Wembanyama stats, Timberwolves vs Spurs box score from Game 5
Continue reading...
