The Orlando Magic didn’t get the win at MSG, but Desmond Bane clearly wasn’t leaving without making headlines. With just over six minutes left in the fourth and the Knicks inching toward a 106-100 win, OG Anunoby went tumbling out after a steal, and while the ball stayed live, Bane suddenly grabbed it and fired it straight at him. The referees needed about half a second to process what on earth happened before slapping Bane with a technical.

Bane’s night didn’t end with that final whistle. The real sting came the next day when the NBA slapped him with a $35,000 fine for what it officially labeled “throwing the game ball with force at an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner.”

That opponent was OG Anunoby, with whom he did share a laugh and a handshake afterward, but that didn’t exactly cancel the bill.

Meanwhile, the Knicks quietly kept stacking wins. Sunday’s result bumped them to 16-7, sitting second in the East, while the Magic slipped to 14-10 in fifth. Anunoby had 21 points with five made threes, continuing a season where he’s knocking down a career-best 40.9% from deep.

But here’s where it gets tricky: this wasn’t Desmond Bane’s first brush with trouble this year.

Back on November 4 against the Atlanta Hawks, Bane grabbed Onyeka Okongwu’s forearm on a hard foul. And then the Magic player fired the ball toward Okongwu as he hit the floor. After the replay, officials upgraded it to a flagrant, added a technical, and sent him off early.

Given his recent history, Sunday’s flare-up established a concerning pattern that didn’t go unnoticed by the league or its fans.

Fans weigh in: Jokes, justifications, and reactions to Desmond Bane’s risky stunt on OG Anunoby

One fan feared the worst for Desmond Bane.

“He should thank Anunoby for not having a fit…otherwise he would have been ejected and possibly suspended.”

And honestly, it didn’t feel too far-fetched in the moment. When Anunoby was asked afterward, the usually quiet forward kept it light.

“I should have caught it,” Anunoby joked.

Instead of turning it into drama, he brushed it off and went right back to the game. If this had been anything close to that recent NSFW flashpoint involving Isaiah Stewart that instantly led to a foul and ejection, things could’ve escalated way differently.

Another fan couldn’t resist dragging in the league’s favorite trouble magnet.

“That’s it? Draymond woulda got suspended and fined 100k 😂.”

Honestly, that reputation follows the Warriors’ floor general everywhere. He’s known as one of the rougher characters in the league, so much so that a fan once got handed a red warning card for messing with him… Forget opponents; even spectators think twice when he’s heated.

Nobody has forgotten that hilarious moment when he tried jawing with Victor Wembanyama and had to crane his neck just to look up at him. But fans aren’t wrong about the fines. According to Spotrac (as of last season), Green was fined $50,000 for the comments, bringing his career total to $992,000. Green has been suspended six times in his NBA career, racking up over $3.2 million in lost pay.

“35K is nothing to these guys. Should be much more,” a netizen wrote.

When you actually look at NBA salaries, it’s hard to argue that players like Bane, whose net worth in 2025 is estimated $15-20 million, make that fine barely a blip.

Add in endorsement deals and brand partnerships, and the $35K seems even smaller. Still, it’s enough to send a message, keep players in check, and remind them there are limits on the court.

But every coin has two sides, and some fans even jumped to Bane’s defense.

“League is soft, standard bball play.”

But the NBA rulebook states that a technical, unsportsmanlike act or flagrant foul is required for an ejection, though there are exceptions.

Even Commissioner Adam Silver seems to get the fans’ perspective, noting, “They wanna see physical defense.”

It’s a delicate balance between keeping the game safe and letting players play hard, and moments like Bane’s remind everyone just how fine that line can be.

“Does OG get the cash? Lol it’s only right,” another fan joked.

Logically, you’d think so. But no, the money doesn’t go to him. Instead, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association make sure it goes to the greater good. Player fines are split between the league, the Players Association Foundation, and other charitable causes they support.

Player-turned-analyst Chandler Parsons described this play as “one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen on a basketball court.”

CBS Sports’ Ashley Nicole Moss called it “clown behavior” while former NBA player Eddie Johnson classified it as legal, yet “nasty.”

So, you see, there’s a bag full of opinions all around the place. Anunoby can just keep cruising along with his $25-30 million net worth, while Desmond Bane’s $35,000 penalty is added to the league’s pot.