Desmond Bane OG Anunoby incident, Bane throws ball Anunoby, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic
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OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks reacts to a foul during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden on December 07, 2025 in New York City.
Inthe most recent game between theNew York Knicks andOrlando Magic, it is clear there is no love lost between the two franchises.
That was evident whenDesmond Bane threw the ball atOG Anunoby after the whistle,sparking asmall scuffle between the two Eastern Conference teams. Deemeda hostile act by the officials, Banewas given a technical foul, and though the two wing players appeared to ‘hug it out,‘it was perhaps the defining moment of theKnicks’ six-point win over the Magic.
Speaking after the game, former NBA All-StarDeMarcus Cousins gave a bold take as to what he thought Anunoby should have done in retaliation.
“I‘m not saying punch him in the face, but maybe slap the [expletive] out of him,”Cousins said on FanDuel TV. “That’s crazy. Yeah,I’m not going for that;that’s crazy.
Bane threw the ball at Anunoby after the play was over, butthere has been no evidence toindicatethe reason why the Magic star made the move that Chandler Parsons of FDTV called, ‘one of the craziest thingsI’ve ever seen on a basketball court.’
Reactions To The Desmond Bane OG Anunoby Incident
The moment, though itdidn’t lead to much, was perhaps the biggest storyline ofSunday’s slate of NBAgames. Right after the Bane and Anunoby incidentoccurred, Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier, both commentating on the game,were very confused as to what they had justwatched.
Basketball host forCBS Sports,Ashley Nicole Moss, calledBane’s move ‘clown behavior‘, while former NBA veteranEddie Johnson said the play was legal,but ‘nasty’.
With Cousins, both Parsons and former star Lou Williams believed there could have been other factors at play.Still, they couldn’t understand why Bane would throw the ball at Anunoby, especiallyconsidering it wasthe Knicks’ player going up forthe layup. He was the one who was fouled, rather than him making a ‘dirty‘play on one of Bane’s Orlando teammates.
There has been no official word from the NBA yeton whether Bane will face any further punishment, but considering itdidn’t lead to an Anunoby injury or full-scale brawl,it’s safe to say the league will likely move on from the incident.
After the game,Anunoby himself spoke onBane’s shot at him, with only a five-word response.
“I should have caught it,”he told reporters.
The incident against the Knicks was notBane’s first time facing punishment or retaliation for throwing the ball against an opponent. In November, hewasejected from a game for spiking the ball onOnyekaOkongwu‘s head after fouling him on the fast break. Though Bane was initially surprised at his ejection, he later admitted it was a ‘hard foul.’
Knicks On A Roll
The game against the Magic was just one in a string of winning New York has gone on over the past few weeks. Sincestarting the season off slower than many fans had hoped, the Knicks have now won 14 of their last 18 contests, currently with a 16-7 record that puts them second in the East standings.
Though there were also early-season rumors and questions surrounding the duo ofJalen Brunson andKarl-Anthony Towns,they’ve both found a groove under newhead coach Mike Brown. The former is averaging 28 points (9th) and 6.4 assists per game, dropping a team-high 30 against the Magic. The latter is averaging 22.5 points and 11.9 rebounds (2nd) a night, while anchoring their improving post defense.
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“For him to continue to be aggressive is going to help us.”
Jalen Brunson talks about Karl-Anthony Towns’ physicality this season:
Both wings in Anunoby andMikal Bridges have put in strong performances so far this season, despite the target ofBane’s throw recently missing time witha hamstring injury. Both are averaging at least 15 points, four rebounds, and nearly two steals per game.
“Anunoby and Bridges are two of the top veteran players in the NBA without All-Star appearances to their name.They’ve had multiple seasons wherethey’ve averaged high teens in scoring.They’ve long been considered two of the best wing defenders in the NBA,”James L. Edwards wrote on why both could become All-Stars. “The Knicks, who have theEast’s second-best record at 16-7 with over a quarter of the season played, deserve multiple All-Stars behind Brunson.”
In a separate article,Edwards also mentioned how Brown ‘doesn’t care to be the smartest guy in the room‘and that byusing everyone in the organizationto make decisions, which so far, has contributed to their success through the first quarter of the 2025-26 NBA season.