The NBA has handed down significant fines following a heated altercation in Game 6 between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson facing a $50,000 penalty and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels getting a $25,000 fine. The league announced the punishments on Friday, adding another chapter to what's already been a postseason filled with disciplinary actions.
The trouble erupted in the second quarter during a free throw attempt, when Robinson and Daniels got tangled up near the baseline. What started as a simple scuffle quickly escalated, spilling over into the courtside seats and forcing both teams' benches to empty. Referees assessed technical fouls to both players and ejected them from the game on the spot.
According to the NBA, Robinson's fine was double Daniels' because of an "inappropriate post on social media in reference to the incident postgame." While the league didn't specify which post, sources confirm that Robinson republished a profane video on his Instagram story shortly after leaving the arena—a move that clearly didn't sit well with league officials.
The timing of the altercation was particularly bizarre, as it came just before the Knicks delivered one of the most dominant playoff performances in NBA history. New York took a staggering 47-point lead into halftime—the largest halftime margin ever recorded in a playoff game—and cruised to a 140-89 victory, leading by as many as 61 points at one stage. For context, that's the kind of blowout that makes even the most lopsided regular-season games look competitive.
This isn't an isolated incident either. The playoffs have been unusually heavy on fines and ejections, with the league cracking down on everything from missed calls to players publicly calling out officials by name. Just this week, the NBA fined Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle for their own confrontation in the Timberwolves-Nuggets series, and slapped Lakers guards Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart with fines for arguing with referees on Sunday. With tensions running high and stakes even higher, it seems the league is sending a clear message: keep your cool, or keep your wallet open.