New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been fined $50,000 following his ejection in their heartbreaking 115-114 loss in Phoenix, the NBA announced Sunday through Byron Spruell, the league operations president.
Randle shoved Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson and a game official during an altercation with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter in their Saturday match at Footprint Center. The Knicks forward earned two technical fouls and was tossed immediately. It was an unfortunate event for the Knicks as Randle had one of his best offensive games this season with 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting.
Julius Randle got ejected for this heated moment with Cam Johnson. A momentum-shifting play. Let’s see how the Knicks respond. pic.twitter.com/kuPWk4KPp8
— alder almo (@alderalmo) March 5, 2022
The Knicks went on to blow a 14-point lead as Johnson fed off from that emotional encounter. Without Randle, Johnson scored 21 of his career-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, which he capped off with the game-winning banked three-pointer at the buzzer.
Randle was remorseful when facing the reporters ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“It hurts not to win. I’m more upset I wasn’t available for my team down the stretch. That’s what hurt me more than anything. I apologize to the guys for it. It hurt I couldn’t be there down the stretch,” Randle said via New York Post.
The Knicks are on a free fall, having lost seven straight, and are in danger of missing the postseason after their surprising playoff run last season. They are now six games behind the Atlanta Hawks, the current 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo