The New York Jets played this weekend but the most talked-about Sunday throw in the tri-state area took place at the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden rather than MetLife Stadium.
As the Knicks pulled away in a Sunday matinee against the Orlando Magic, second half drama manifested under the Orlando basket just before the midway mark of the final frame.
As Knicks star OG Anunoby turned a Mikal Bridges interception into a fastbreak, Magic reserve Anthony Black knocked the ball out of his hands. After Anunoby tumbled out of bounds, Orlando’s Desmond Bane forcefully threw the ball at the former despite apparently establishing possession with his feet inbounds. That led to a skirmish and confrontation that spilled back onto the court, with Anunoby lightly shoving Bane in the aftermath.
The lack of pleasantries, fortunately, didn’t lead to anything substantial: the play was reviewed for a hostile act which eventually yielded a technical foul free throw for Jalen Brunson and Anunoby seemed amused by the incident more than anything.
“It was funny,” Anunoby said during the postgame, per Barbara Barker of Newsday. “I mean, maybe it was [excessive], but [Bane’s] a good dude. It was funny. I was confused at first and then it was funny.”
While Bane briefly became the bane of Knicks’ fans existence, garnering boos from the MSG crowd, every time he touched the ball for the rest of the game, he and Anunoby appeared to be laughing about it in the end.
The MSG Network broadcast also caught Knicks head coach Mike Brown sharing a hug and a whispered conversation with Bane after the Knicks wrapped up a 106-100 victory, their third in a row and 13th on 7th Avenue this season. It was also the Knicks’ first victory in three tries against the Magic, who notably sent away a good bit of their future to obtain Bane’s services from the Memphis Grizzlies over the summer.
Bane’s antics have drawn a polarizing response on the hardwood social sphere: former NBA vet Eddie Johnson called it a “legal but nasty” play in an X post while another, DeMarcus Cousins, took issue with Anunoby’s relatively muted response.
“I’m not saying punch him in the face, but maybe slap the s*** out of him,” Cousins bluntly retorted during his Monday showing on the FanDuel program “Run It Back.” “That’s crazy … I’m not going for that.”
New York and Orlando are not scheduled to meet again this season, though they could be matched up for a fourth time if both sides win or lose their NBA Cup quarterfinal showings on Tuesday night.
