Wemby Ejection Liquidates SAS Lead: Wolves Tie 2-2, 114-109

Wembanyama's line froze at 4 pts, 4 reb, 3 fouls in 12:29. Reid converted both Flagrant 2 free throws to flip the score to MIN 38-34, and the Wolves never trailed again. Halftime: MIN 60, SAS 56. Edwards detonated for 36 pts with 16 in Q4 — the closing burst that buried the Spurs after they had clawed the deficit to one possession with under 30 seconds left. SAS played 35:31 of game-time without their 7-4 Defensive Player of the Year, the entire second half plus most of the second quarter against a Reid + Randle + McDaniels frontcourt designed to manufacture exactly this kind of physical, low-foul-call collision. Per ESPN Research, teams are 1-8 when an All-Star is ejected from a playoff game before the fourth quarter in the play-by-play era. The 5-point final margin understates the structural advantage MIN secured — an opened paint, an uncontested rim, and transition lanes against backup-tier rim protection. Down seven with 30 seconds left, SAS cut it to one possession in roughly 10 seconds; a fortunate carom off Ayo Dosunmu's leg gave MIN the inbound and closed it out at the line. Mitch Johnson, asked about the protection his star receives: "every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on you." Not a box-score adjustment.