ORLANDO — Josh Hart said he didn’t mean to grab pesky Jalen Suggs by the neck.
Hart picked up a technical in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 133-121 loss to the Magic on Saturday after fighting Suggs for a loose ball, an exchange that ended after the Knicks player’s right hand wrapped around Suggs’ throat.
“It was a loose ball. Obviously, we’re jockeying for the ball. I wasn’t even looking at him,” Hart said. “I was looking at the basketball, and I didn’t realize I hit him in the neck until they slowed it down second by second. A play where bodies are flying and hands are flying.
Josh Hart picked up a technical in the fourth quarter after fighting Suggs for a loose ball, an exchange that ended after his right hand wrapped around Suggs’ throat in the Knicks’ 133-121 loss to the Magic on Nov. 22 2025. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
“Unfortunately, I got him there. But it was nothing purposeful. That stuff’s happening like this,” Hart said snapping his fingers. “I don’t think I had enough time to process on a loose ball grabbing him by the neck.”
The play juiced up Suggs, who had been hounding Jalen Brunson all night defensively, and prompted a “Let’s go Magic” chant from the crowd.
It was the second technical in the past three games for Hart, who was whistled for jawing at the referee in last week’s loss to the Heat.
On Saturday, Hart fouled out in 29 minutes and scored 12 points with five rebounds.
Miles McBride did not play Saturday because of an illness. He was on the active list but never made it to the bench.
It was the third DNP of the season for McBride, who missed two games following a death in his family.
Miles McBride did not play in the Knicks’ loss to the Magic because of an illness. NBAE via Getty Images
Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley didn’t coach the second half because of an illness. Assistant Joe Prunty took over the head coaching duties and got the win.
“I’m better now,” Mosley said after the game. “I was lightheaded, almost dizzy on the sideline; it kicked in. I probably shouldn’t have been yelling at [the referee] like that. That started it, but much better now. … It was scary.”
Coach Mike Brown opened up his pregame news conference by offering his condolences to the family of Rodney Rogers, who died Friday of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury.
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Rogers, 54, played 12 NBA seasons, including two with the New Jersey Nets. He had been paralyzed from the shoulders down since a dirt bike accident in 2008.
Brown was a video coordinator in the 1990s with the Nuggets, for whom Rogers played from 1993-95. Coincidentally, Brown referenced Rogers earlier this month when explaining why he kept the Knicks starters on the court during the final minutes while facing a 16-point deficit.
Rogers spurred an improbable Nuggets comeback in 1994 by scoring nine points in nine seconds, but the Jazz still won on a last-second shot by Jeff Malone.
“It was amazing what [Rogers] did. We were a young team, and after he hit that third [3-pointer], we were celebrating like we won,” Brown recalled Saturday.
“I was with him in Denver back in the day, and he obviously was a really good basketball player but a good human being, too.”