It’s not rare to see at least one angry outburst on the NBA court throughout a season that can lead to things getting physical. However, what about the fans themselves? Doesn’t the tension of poor performances get to them too? More occasionally than one might think. From the infamous ‘Malice at the Palace’ to Nikola Jokić’s brothers being charged with assault over a fight with a fan, tensions can boil up even in the stands. Recently, another such incident garnered the spotlight at a time when it should have been solely focused on Karl-Anthony Towns and his team members.

The recent matchup between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors saw the former team win by 112-98. Karl-Anthony Towns came out on top during the game. He put out another double-double score of 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists. The points he accumulated allowed him to take his All-Time Score to 14,007.

As a result, Towns now stands as the NBA’s 194th Highest All-Time Scorer, right between Fred Brown (14,018 points), and Eric Gordon (13,995 points). Meanwhile, the Raptors recorded their 3 consecutive loss, further worsening their already precarious situation.

Whether the Raptors’ poor streak was the main reason or not, a fight soon broke out between two attendees at Madison Square Garden. One of the individuals grabbed the other one by his jacket and kept landing blows on his body. The other person also kept hitting back, while other attendees attempted to separate them. Eventually, the ‘bout’ fizzled out by itself.

According to reports, the fight had taken place just 3 minutes into the game. By that point, the Toronto Raptors led by a 7-4 score. Jalen Brunson had been pushed to the floor, but Karl-Anthony Towns had taken advantage of it to make a turnover. After 5 minutes had elapsed in the game, the Toronto Raptors never took the lead again. Therefore, no one can be blamed for the tension that existed among the Raptors’ fans present at MSG.

However, since neither of the two strangers had worn apparel that indicated an allegiance towards one particular team, it is even harder to determine the reason behind their fight.

Such incidents are bound to come up at Madison Square Garden. After all, as highlighted by Picks Wise, MSG is the most common location for first-hand encounters when it comes to NBA arenas. 9.31% of the sample used in conducting the data reportedly witnessed “some real unsportsmanlike conduct” inside and around the arena. Physical violence was listed as the most common crime there. Fortunately, the highlighted incident seemed to have been the only reported instance of a physical fight having broken out during the game.

“We are aware of the incident, and while we aren’t going to get into specifics, the aggressor was immediately removed from the venue following the altercation,” said an MSG Sports spokesperson in a statement. “It is our top priority to provide a safe environment for our guests and as stated in our code of conduct, we do not tolerate violence of any kind in our venues.”

The incident showed that it is seldom a dull day when it comes to Knicks games. After all, it was only three weeks ago when the players got overshadowed by another duo.

Two ‘Protestors’ were arrested after interrupting Knicks vs Timberwolves matchup

Back in December, the New York Knicks met the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The game was already interesting since Karl-Anthony Towns was set to go up against his old teammates. However, the more memorable moment occurred as the matchup reached half-time.

When the whistle blew, two women stood up from their seats placed a few rows behind the courtside seats. A few seconds before the security could notice, the women ran across the court. Once they were spotted, it didn’t take long for security to get to them and pin them down. 3 men had to escort one woman out, with two of them holding her legs and the other lifting her by the arms.

According to NBA reporter Phil Mackey, the police had arrested at least one of the women. Furthermore, he also claimed that the women were “protesting the pathetic 2nd quarter effort by the Timberwolves”. Therefore, “it’s tough to blame her”.

The same may be somewhat understandable since the Timberwolves barely held a 33-32 lead when the 1st quarter concluded. Over the next 12 minutes, the Knicks added 41 additional points to their total. The home side could only add 18.

Sports can really bring out the wild side amongst fans. The recent incident at Madison Square Garden wasn’t the first such occurrence, and it certainly will not be the last.