New York Knicks star Julius Randle was thrown out late in the third quarter against the Phoenix Suns after shoving Cam Johnson.

Things have been chippy between Randle and Johnson since the start of the game, and tempers erupted in the penultimate period with both teams fighting hard for the W. The two got highly physical as they tried to position themselves for the rebound.

Randle bodied his opponent to box him out, and after the ball went in, Johnson gave a push to the Knicks forward. The 27-year-old Randle didn't like that and confronted the Suns youngster, shoving him even though a referee was there to de-escalate the situation.

It's certainly not surprising that Julius Randle got ejected for his gesture. After all, Cam Johnson was not retaliating physically in their exchange but he still pushed back even with the referee already dealing with the matter.

That's also an ill-advised decision for him, especially since the Knicks really needed him. They were only up by 10 at that point and with still over a quarter to play, they couldn't afford to lose their best player. Randle left the game with 25 points and seven rebounds.

The Suns might have been playing mind games with him as well, testing his temper and pushing him to his limits. If they do, they definitely succeeded in that regard.

Knicks fans also won't be happy with that. With the ‘Bockers desperate to get every win they can to keep themselves in the playoff hunt, such costly acts do nothing but put the team in a difficult situation.