Knicks’ Julius Randle Fined $40K for Using ‘Hostile Language’ Toward Official

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Sunday’s loss to the Utah Jazz was a costly one for New York Knicks forward Julius Randle.

The NBA announced Tuesday it fined him $40,000 “for directing hostile language toward a game official” during the contest.

While Randle finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, some of the frustration could have stemmed from his shooting performance considering he was just 6-of-21 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range.

This is nothing new for Randle, who has been fined five times this season.

Fred Katz of The Athletic noted the Kentucky product was fined $15,000 for kicking the ball into the stands, $25,000 for cursing during a news conference, $25,000 for not talking to the media and $50,000 for an incident with Cameron Johnson during a loss to the Phoenix Suns. That makes for a total of $155,000.

Randle’s altercation with Johnson came early this month, and they each received a technical foul. After the duo exchanged words and bumped chests late in the third quarter, Randle went through an official to shove Johnson.

New York was up 86-76 when Randle was ejected but ended up losing on a buzzer-beater by Johnson.

The Knicks announced Randle will not be on the court for Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a sore right quadriceps tendon.

They are just 30-41 and five games behind the Hawks for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference.