The NBA rescinded Mitchell Robinson’s Game 2 technical foul after reviewing a shoving match with Victor Wembanyama during the Finals.
The call came with 4:56 left in the first half of the Knicks’ 105-104 road win Friday, a victory that gave New York a 2-0 lead in the series. Robinson and Wembanyama were battling for position near the paint when the exchange turned physical. Robinson was the only player given a technical foul.
The decision mattered in the moment because a technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw and possession. The ruling also forced Karl-Anthony Towns back into the game, according to Fox News Digital’s account of the sequence. New York still held on, with the final seconds again turning on Wembanyama and Robinson.
Wembanyama had a chance to win it on the last possession after fouling Jalen Brunson, whose free throw became the decisive point. Robinson defended Wembanyama on the final shot, which missed off the rim. Devin Vassell grabbed the rebound for San Antonio and banked in a follow, but not before time ran out.
Robinson played 14 minutes in Game 2, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, one block and one steal. He has been playing through a surgically repaired pinky finger on his right hand, an injury that reportedly occurred at home in the days before the Finals opened.
The Knicks have leaned on Robinson as a bench big behind Towns, particularly for defense, rebounding and rim protection. San Antonio also targeted him at the foul line in Game 2, using a “Hack-A-Mitch” approach while trying to build a second-quarter run. Robinson has shot 32% from the free-throw line in 15 games, according to the report.
The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3, where the Knicks are set to host their first NBA Finals game since 1999 — also against the Spurs.
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