During this NBA season, Julius Randle has certainly had his woes.
The New York Knicks star was fined $50,000 for an altercation which occurred the other night, March 4. The altercation saw him shove Phoenix Suns’ power forward Cameron Johnson, as well as making contact with an NBA official who tried to break up the incident.
With 2:30 left in the third quarter, both Randle and Johnson were called for technical fouls after exchanging words and bumping chests. When the referee attempted to break up the altercation, Randle got physical, pushing his way past the ref to shove Johnson again, which led to his ejection.
“I’m more upset I wasn’t available for my team down the stretch,” Randle said following the game. “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.”
Julius Randle and Cam Johnson got into it.
Randle was ejected after the exchange. pic.twitter.com/K5Bh3O7bS7
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2022
It indeed hurt the Knicks that Randle wasn’t there for them down the stretch, as Johnson got his revenge on the Knicks by playing a tremendous role in the Suns’ comeback victory. He scored a career-high 38 points in the game, including a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to win the game for the Suns, 115-114. The Knicks, who were up by ten at the time of the incident – 86-76 – ended up blowing a 14-point lead to lose their 7th straight game.
Prior to the ejection, Randle had 25 points in the game and was dominating the Suns, who have a league-best 51-13 record. This record is by far the best in the NBA right now, and had Randle not gotten wild, the mediocre Knicks’ chances of beating the best team in the NBA would have been increased.
The Knicks, who currently sit in 12th place in the East, with a 28-35 record, did snap their losing streak in Los Angeles last night, March 6, when they blew out the Clippers 116-93. Despite this, their struggles this season have been evident, and combined with Julius Randle’s prior controversies – including publicly shaming and giving Knicks fans the thumbs-down after his struggles earlier this year – it’s certainly not a good look for the famed basketball club.
What did you think of the altercation between the Knicks and the Suns? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
