MINNEAPOLIS — Midway through this rugged second-round NBA playoff series for the San Antonio Spurs, in the first of what could well be many memorable postseason runs for Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old phenom was growing weary of the physical play he’s been facing from the Minnesota Timberwolves.With one frustrated swing of his right elbow on Sunday night, Wembanyama changed the course of Game 4 — and perhaps the series. Ejected after striking Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the throat early in the second quarter, Wembanyama was confined to watching his teammates admirably overcome his notable absence before fading down the stretch in a 114-109 defeat that evened the series at two games apiece.“It was a whole lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, but that’s a part of the game,” said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who matched his career high with 24 points. “The next man has got to step up. I think we all did a great job of controlling what we can control.” Wembanyama was swarmed by Reid and Jaden McDaniels after grabbing an offensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer. With McDaniels tugging on his left arm, Wembanyama snapped and jabbed his right arm back toward Reid — and struck him square in the neck. Television replays showed Harper behind the scrum with a stunned expression, his mouth agape. McDaniels quickly bearhugged Wembanyama to try to avoid escalation, and the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama took a seat on the bench while the officials …
