Victor Wembanyama off the hook after NBA ruling on Jalen Brunson shove

Victor Wembanyama off the hook after NBA ruling on Jalen Brunson shove originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The NBA has officially cleared Victor Wembanyama and decided not to upgrade his controversial first-quarter shove on New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson to a flagrant foul in NBA Finals Game 3. This means Wembanyama is eligible to play in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, as the San Antonio Spurs will hope to level the series and get the home advantage back.

The incident between Brunson and Wembanyama happened in the first quarter of Game 3. Both were battling for a position near the top of the key when the Knicks guard appeared to tug at Wemby’s jersey. In response, the 7-foot-4 forward retaliated with a forceful shove to Brunson’s upper back and neck area. The Knicks guard crashed into the floor.

While no whistle was blown during live action, the referees ignored the foul, allowing play to continue. However, after the Spurs’ 115-111 win, the NBA acknowledged the uncalled foul as Senior Vice President of Referee Development and Training Monty McCutchen admitted that the officiating crew failed to break down the contact between the two stars.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the league has reviewed the play and deemed that it doesn’t qualify for a flagrant foul on the Spurs star.

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Victor Wembanyama gets major relief after important NBA ruling

The latest ruling will be welcomed by the Spurs, as Victor Wembanyama has already accumulated two flagrant fouls earlier in the postseason with an incident involving Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid.

Had the NBA decided to call the controversial shove on Brunson a Flagrant 1, the Spurs center would have received an automatic suspension, as he would have breached the threshold.

Wembanyama is an integral member of the Spurs and he led the franchise from the front in NBA Finals Game 3. He finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He hopes to do something similar when the Spurs take on the home side in NBA Finals Game 4 at MSG.

More NBA news:

• Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama gets candid on facing the Knicks at MSG for the NBA Finals

• De’Aaron Fox reveals how Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama emotionally bounced back vs. Knicks

• NBA Finals Game 3 takeaways: Victor Wembanyama thrives from adjustments

• What Stephon Castle saw in Jalen Brunson looked a lot like SGA