The Minnesota Timberwolves needed to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday’s Game 4 to avoid the dreaded 3-1 series deficit, which only 15 teams in NBA history have recovered from. That’s exactly what they did, but nobody could’ve predicted the way it happened.
The Timberwolves were up 36-34 with 8:40 left in the second quarter when superstar Spurs center Victor Wembanyama elbowed fellow center Naz Reid in the throat after grabbing an offensive rebound. The 22-year-old was charged with a Flagrant 2 foul for excessive contact, triggering an automatic ejection.
Reid offered a simple comment when asked about the incident postgame, via GopherHole.com’s Nadine Babu.
“Pain is weakness leaving the body, that’s it,” the 26-year-old said.
Timberwolves Take Advantage of Victor Wembanyama’s Absence
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and President of Basketball Operations Gregg PopovichRob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Reid backed up his words before he said them, as he finished with 31 minutes off the bench despite getting struck. The 6-foot-9, 264-pounder tallied 15 points (6-12 FG, 0-4 3-point) with nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama finished with just four points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3-point), four rebounds and one assist over 12 minutes. That helped Minnesota win 114-109, as the 7-foot-4, 235-pounder is averaging 19.6 points on 53.4% shooting (35.3% 3-point) with 10.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks across 28.5 minutes this postseason.
Star guard Anthony Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves, posting 36 points (13-22 FG, 3-5 3-point with six rebounds, two assists and one steal over 40 minutes. They also won the rebounding battle 49-41 and shot 37% from deep on 27 attempts, while the Spurs shot 23% on 26 tries.
The series is now tied 2-2 with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday in San Antonio. Minnesota won Game 1 104-102 without Edwards before dropping Game 2 133-95 and Game 3 115-108.
The Timberwolves are the underdog in the series, as they’re the sixth seed in the Western Conference while the Spurs are second. However, Edwards and company have succeeded in this position before. They upset the second-seeded Denver Nuggets as the third seed during the second round in 2024 and beat the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round as the sixth seed last year. Additionally, they beat the third-seeded Nuggets as the sixth seed in the first round this year.
That track record gives Minnesota the experience advantage over San Antonio, which is going through its first playoff run with its current core. However, the latter squad is stacked with talent, as Wembanyama is the Defensive Player of the Year this season, guard De’Aaron Fox is an All-Star, forward Keldon Johnson is the Sixth Man of the Year, guard Stephon Castle was the 2025 Rookie of the Year, and guard Dylan Harper was the 2025 No. 2 overall pick.
Tuesday’s game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Related: Anthony Edwards Admits It Was ‘Harder’ After Victor Wembanyama’s Ejection
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
