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Knicks Fan Says Julius Randle Had Him Ejected for Heckling During Heat Game
January 28, 2022
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle apparently didn't like the way a fan was taunting him during Wednesday's 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat at FTX Arena.
Dylan Rainey, a 29-year-old Knicks fan living in Florida, told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that Randle got him kicked out of the arena for pointing out his plus-minus stats against the Heat.
"He’s sitting right in front of me. I said, ‘Hey, you know you’re minus-34 right now, right?’" Rainey said. "Then he looked at me, was clearly trying to intimidate me, then he got security, and that was a wrap."
Earlier in the day, Rainey provided a longer explanation of what happened during an appearance on WFAN's Carlton and Roberts:
This isn't the first time Randle has taken issue with Knicks fans amid the team's disappointing performance this season. He gave a thumbs-down gesture after making a shot in the fourth quarter of a 108-105 win over the Boston Celtics on Jan. 6.
Randle told reporters after the game he was sending a message to Knicks fans.
"Shut the f--k up," he said.
The Madison Square Garden crowd was booing the Knicks during the first half and into the third quarter for their play against the Celtics.
New York came back to beat the Celtics in that game earlier this month, but it had no such luck against the Heat. The entire starting five was at least minus-18 in Wednesday's loss.
Randle's minus-34 mark was his worst of the season. It was also the fourth time in the past six games his plus-minus has been at least minus-20.
An All-Star last season, Randle has not been able to repeat that performance in 2021-22. The 27-year-old is on pace to have his worst scoring average (18.7 points per game) since 2017-18 and lowest field-goal percentage (41.2) of his career, not including one game he played as a rookie in 2014-15.
The Knicks are currently the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 23-26 record.