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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.

The Knicks arrived with a 3-1 lead and a shot at their first title since 1973. Instead, the Spurs came out swinging, and Victor Wembanyama turned the Frost Bank Center into a wall.

Jalen Brunson struggled to find any rhythm early, and the Spurs leaned on their defense to build a cushion. But midway through the third quarter, one defensive play turned into the night’s biggest talking point, and it had nothing to do with the score.

Victor Wembanyama Foot Under Jalen Brunson Three Pointer No Call

With about five minutes left in the third quarter, Brunson rose for a three over Wembanyama’s outstretched arm. The shot went in, but as Brunson came down, his foot landed directly on top of Wembanyama’s, and his ankle rolled awkwardly underneath him.

No whistle came. Brunson stayed down for a moment while San Antonio scored on the other end to make it 62-53. He eventually got up and stayed in the game, but he and coach Mike Brown made their anger with the officials clear.

NBA reporter Stefan Bondy caught the replay and broke it down for his followers on X.

“Wow. Wembanyama stuck his foot under Brunson on a 3-pointer. Refs ignored it. If that’s called a flagrant, Wemby would be suspended for next game (if there’s one). A potentially momentous non-call.”

He followed up with the part that really matters going forward: “Wemby can be given a retroactive flagrant so he could still be suspended for potential Game 6.”

What A Flagrant Review Could Mean For Game 6

This isn’t new territory for Wembanyama. He already carries three flagrant foul points from earlier in these playoffs, including one from Game 4 of the Finals. One more point triggers an automatic one game suspension.

There’s already precedent here. After Game 3, the league admitted officials missed a foul when Wembanyama shoved Brunson to the floor, but the play was never upgraded to a flagrant on review. San Antonio will hope for the same outcome this time.

The stakes go beyond one game. New York still leads the series 3-1, and a San Antonio win sends things back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6. Losing Wembanyama for that game would be a brutal blow for the Spurs.

For now, Brunson is fine. He stayed on the court and kept playing through the rest of the third quarter. But this is the second time in the Finals that a hard Wembanyama play near Brunson has gone unpunished in real time.

The league will almost certainly review this play, just like it did after Game 3. Whether it changes anything for Wembanyama remains to be seen, but if the Spurs force a Game 6, every flagrant point will matter.