Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

NBA hands Josh Hart $2,000 fine for flopping incident vs Celtics

Josh Hart made a flopping attempt during the 118-105 loss against the Celtics.

Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

On Sunday, February 23, the New York Knicks went down to the Boston Celtics 118-105 and recorded their second straight loss. The game saw Jayson Tatum adding 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Jaylen Brown adding 24 points for the Celtics. On the other hand, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points for the Knicks while Jalen Brunson added 22 points.

Josh Hart, who was playing his first game since February 12, missed his triple double by one assist and finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He was coming after a two-match layoff with a knee issue.

While Hart failed to lead his side to a win, he still managed to catch some eyeballs and get into the headlines. He came up with a flopping attempt during the game, which eventually ended up costing him $2000. The incident took place in the third quarter, when the Knicks were trailing by 20 points.

Hart had a dramatic fall on the ground after Jrue Holiday of the Celtics lightly held his waist following a run up after the rebound. While Hart thought he would get away with his attempt to call the foul, the NBA wasn’t in the mood to take things lightly. On Monday, the league announced a $2000 fine on the Knicks player following the assessment of his attempt.

What is flopping?

Flopping is attempted when a player makes an intentional fall after getting in little or no physical contact with an opposition player. As per the rules of the league, the offender is charged with a technical foul after an official calls a flop. In return, the opposing team gets a free throw, which can be attempted by any player on the team when the foul is assessed.

Josh Hart was fined $2,000 for this flop last night 😭😭
pic.twitter.com/uDfA0JdlMR
— CelticsMuse (@CelticsMuse) February 24, 2025

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“Dang no Oscar”- Josh Hart comes up with hilarious reaction to flopping fine

Hart came up with a hilarious reaction to the fine imposed by the NBA on him. Hart took to his social media to react to it and mockingly expressed his disappointment for getting caught.

“Dang no Oscar for me,” Josh wrote on social media.

Dang no Oscar for me 😂
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) February 25, 2025

Talking about his current season, Josh has been averaging 14.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in 2024-25. He will be in action on Wednesday, February 26, as the third-seeded Eastern Conference side clashes against the 76ers.

Boston Celtics

Josh Hart

New York Knicks

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.