The action between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets on Wednesday night heated up in the second quarter. With 5:24 remaining in the period, Alperen Sengun missed a floater near the basket on a good contest from Jonathan Kuminga, who then secured the defensive board for the Timberwolves. However, right after securing the rebound, Kuminga extended his arm and ended up hitting Sengun on the face with his elbow.
This then sparked a bit of a fracas between the two teams, with tempers flaring after Sengun fell to the ground after taking the hit from Kuminga. The officials had to separate the two sides, and they eventually came to the conclusion that the Timberwolves forward did indeed commit a flagrant foul penalty one for excessive contact to the head of the opponent.
Jonathan Kuminga catches Alperen Sengun with an elbow to the face on this play 😳
Kuminga was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul following the play.
Good or bad call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qLaD1TpBsy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 5, 2026
Perhaps the only thing that saved Kuminga from an immediate ejection courtesy of a flagrant foul penalty two was that he didn't wind up his arm before hitting Sengun squarely on the jaw. The contact was most certainly excessive, but it's ambiguous as to whether or not the hit was actually intentional.
The Rockets center is always going to muck it up on the interior, and the Timberwolves need to keep their head cool even as they take one hit after another from him. And thus far, they're doing an incredible job of keeping in step with the Rockets despite missing Anthony Edwards, who is nursing a knee injury after undergoing surgery.
Article Continues BelowAs for Kuminga, he has emerged as a valuable weapon for the Timberwolves, especially on the defensive end, so his presence on the court is important to slow down the likes of Kevin Durant and an on-fire Jabari Smith Jr.
In 21 minutes of play thus far on the night, Kuminga has eight points, five rebounds, and four assists while shooting 2-of-6 from the field.