The NBA announced Sunday that they have fined Julius Randle $50K for shoving Cam Johnson and pushing an official who was intervening during the Knicks-Suns game on Friday night. The altercation ultimately led to Randle's ejection.
According to the league, the Knicks forward failed to be compliant with their investigation into the altercation, which is likely the reason he is receiving a hefty fine.
The incident took place during the waning minutes of the third quarter when Randle shoved Johnson while they were both fighting for positioning down in the paint. The incident escalated further once Randle pushed the official who stepped in between the two in order to reach Johnson. Randle's meltdown was enough for the refs to strike him with two technical fouls and ended up ejecting him from the game.
To coincide with Randle's exit, Johnson went on to score 21 points and hit a game-winning three-pointer to give the Suns the dub 115-114. With the victory Friday and a 10 point loss Sunday against the Bucks, Phoenix still sits atop of the Western Conference at 51-13 and looks to be one of the best teams in the playoffs.
As for the floundering Knicks, missing out on the postseason is becoming more and more of a reality. The loss to Phoenix on Friday was the seventh straight defeat for the team until they finally snapped it Sunday against the Clippers. If we look ahead to the postseason, the Knicks are sitting five games back from the last play-in spot, which is held by the Atlanta Hawks.
While it feels like a possibility that the Knicks will make the postseason, the way this team is unraveling from the Kemba Walker thing, to coach Thibs, to Randles decline, I don't think even the most ardent of Knicks fans think this squad deserves a shot in the playoffs.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram