Timberwolves’ Naz Reid hit with questionable technical foul for pushing Victor Wembanyama appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have played with a relentless physicality throughout their semifinal series against the San Antonio Spurs thus far, and in Game 4, Victor Wembanyama’s emotions got the best of him as he threw a mean elbow towards Naz Reid and got himself ejected in a 114-109 defeat. In Game 5, these two got entagled up with each other once again, although this time, it was Reid who drew the ire of officials.
With 2:24 remaining in the second quarter and Julius Randle at the free throw line, Wembanyama and Reid battled for positioning on the boards. That proved to be moot as Randle made the free throw anyway, but the referees deemed that Reid shoved Wembanyama unnecessarily and penalized him with a technical foul, perhaps for second motion.
Timberwolves fans would argue that Reid should not have been whistled for a technical foul. But considering the history that’s been brewing between Reid and Wembanyama this series, perhaps holding their physical play in check was the best decision the officials can make.
Perhaps the referees were simply trying to contain the physicality between the Timberwolves and Spurs, as the last thing the officials need is to lose control of the game. It did not help Reid at all that he blatantly shoved Wembanyama with two hands, and it’s his arm extension that must have caught the referees’ eyes.
Nevertheless, in the playoffs, there is no way anyone is going to relent even a single inch, and there should be some leeway for both teams to play physical basketball as they battle for loose balls and rebounds. The Timberwolves, especially, need to ramp up the aggression considering that they’ve fallen down by double digits in the first half against the Spurs on the road.
The good news for the Timberwolves is that they’ve started brilliantly in the second half, as they have cut the Spurs’ lead to four, 61-57, in the early goings of the third quarter.
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