NBA declined – The San Antonio Spurs won Game 3, but Victor Wembanyama’s shove on Jalen Brunson sparked an NBA review. The league acknowledged it missed a foul yet declined to upgrade it to a flagrant, leaving Wembanyama’s playoff flagrant count unchanged. Skip Bayless blast
Victor Wembanyama’s night still ended with a Spurs win, but it quickly became something else—an officiating flashpoint that followed the 2026 NBA Finals straight into Game 4.
San Antonio beat the New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. Yet the sequence that turned heads wasn’t a shot or a steal—it was a shove. Wembanyama pushed Jalen Brunson away from the ball during the play, and officials did not call a foul.
The NBA’s review only intensified the debate. The league later acknowledged that it missed a foul on the action. but it did not upgrade the contact to a flagrant. That decision meant Wembanyama’s playoff flagrant point total stayed exactly the same before Game 4. because an upgrade would have carried automatic consequences.
Skip Bayless made sure that message landed with maximum volume on X. After the ruling. he posted in all caps: “NO WAY WAS THE NBA GOING TO DO THE CORRECT THING AND UPGRADE WEMBY’S UNCALLED FOUL TO THE FLAGRANT ON JALEN BRUNSON THAT IT OBVIOUSLY GLARINGLY WAS. THE ALIEN IS NOW THE FACE OF THE LEAGUE, THE NEW RATINGS MAGNET, THE MOST PROTECTED PLAYER IN THE NBA. THIS IS EXHIBIT A.”.
For Bayless, the issue wasn’t just missed officiating—it was what that missed call protected. His reaction helped keep the shove at the center of the conversation while the Knicks still led the series 2-1 entering Game 4.
The flagrant point math is where the timing gets sharper. Wembanyama already carried two playoff flagrant points after a Flagrant 2 earlier in the postseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With that total in place. an upgrade on the Brunson shove would have moved him closer to an automatic one-game suspension. Instead, the Spurs keep their franchise centerpiece clear of that risk.
For New York, the moment is also about opportunity—one more officiating flashpoint in a Finals that already feels razor-thin.
The sequence that followed a Knicks moment around the ball didn’t just change a single call; it shaped the immediate stakes. Game 3 ended 115-111 for San Antonio. but the NBA’s choice not to upgrade the shove left Wembanyama’s flagrant count unchanged. giving the Spurs relief while giving the Knicks another reason to be upset heading into Game 4.
Victor Wembanyama Jalen Brunson San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks 2026 NBA Finals Game 3 Game 4 officiating review flagrant points Skip Bayless X Madison Square Garden Minnesota Timberwolves
So they admit they missed it but still didn’t fix it?? That’s wild.
Skip Bayless is always yelling but I get it… if it was a foul, why not flagrant it? Kinda feels like they were just trying to keep Wemby out of trouble.
I don’t even know what a flagrant point is half the time. Like if it’s not upgraded then it didn’t happen? But they said they missed a foul so… isn’t that still like a thing lol.
Bayless calling him an alien is so dumb but the NBA protecting certain guys is real. Next thing you know they’ll say the shove was “accidental” and then act surprised the Knicks are mad. Also Madison Square Garden always gets those calls in their favor anyway, so idk.