After picking up a technical foul for what he called “standing on business” following a dangerous play in the Knicks’ narrow victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, backup center Mitchell Robinson challenged his teammates to play better in first quarters, a struggle the team has faced routinely in recent weeks,

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“[The Nets] brought the fight to us. They came out. They wanted to prove a point obviously, so our approach has to be better,” a frustrated Robinson said in front of his locker following his 10-rebound performance against the Nets on Friday. “We can’t just look at their record and just say, ‘Alright, we’re gonna whip their ass.’ We’ve just gotta be better all together, and until we figure that part out, it’s gonna be a long road.

“Our approach in shoot around, the way we come to the game. We’ve gotta be ready to go.”

Robinson picked up a technical foul for taunting after Nets rookie guard Nolan Traore appeared to undercut the Knicks’ big man on an alley-oop with roughly three minutes left in the second quarter. Traore came crashing down to the ground, and Robinson stood over him before several Nets players approached the scene. Officials separated the two, Robinson was assessed a technical, and Traore was whistled for a common foul.

“Yall saw that s–t bro. It ain’t even a need to speak on it right now,” Robinson said after the game. “It is what it is. I don’t even wanna talk about that s–t.”

Starting Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said Robinson has every right to defend himself how he sees fit. The Knicks’ defensive anchor has undergone two surgeries to repair stress fractures in his left ankle. Plays like Traore’s lend themselves to re-injury.

“I’ve seen Mitch have moments, but I think today was one of those days where you’ve gotta protect yourself,” Towns said. “Especially if something like that happens. We need him. We need him on this team. We need him available and healthy, and that’s a play that can lead to [injury].”

The Nets, who entered the night with a 17-52 record and lost 13 straight games to the Knicks before making in 14 on Friday, won the first quarter, 22-14, behind a level of physicality Robinson said his team wasn’t prepared for.

“We’ve played them how many times this year? Three or four? This is probably the most physical they’ve gotten with us,” he said. “So we can’t just take their record and say this is an easy one. They’re grown-ass men just like us and in the NBA too, just like us. So our approach has to be better and more respectful. That’s all.”

The Knicks proceeded to outscore the Nets, 61-43, in the second and third quarters.

“We had to get physical back. That’s how it’s gonna be,” Robinson said. “Gotta stand on business about that. So f–k it.”

Brown said the Knicks haven’t struggled with physicality from opposing defenses regularly this season. He considers Friday’s result an outlier — and a loss on his personal resume against Jordi Fernandez, his former assistant coach during his tenure with the Sacramento Kings.

“Give Brooklyn a lot of credit. I thought they came out and they were extremely physical throughout the whole game and it impacted us, starting with Jordi on down,” Brown said. “Jordi out-coached me. They out-played us in a lot of areas, and we were just able to find a way to get a win.

“We have shown we’ve been comfortable with [physicality] in the past. Tonight was just one of those nights we didn’t do a good job handling their pressure. You’ve just gotta go by someone if somebody’s pressuring you cause they’re probably not gonna call the foul. You’ve just gotta go by them. You’ve gotta make the right play and if you make the right play, after going by them a couple times, the pressure will loosen up. And then whether you’re blitzed or hit, you just have to make sure you get off the ball timely. And then we had more 24 second shot clock violations tonight than the entire season. There were a lot of things that were unlike our group.”

Robinson had a different message: The Knicks have been sleepwalking against teams with losing records like the Nets. They barely beat a Golden State Warriors team without a recognizable starter in its rotation, and the Knicks have been routinely punting on first quarters and playing catch-up later in games, a habit all-but certain to come back to bite them in the playoffs.

Towns said he didn’t think the Nets were going to be a walk in the park, even though the Knicks won their last meeting by 50 points.

“They’re an NBA team, a really great team. They’ve got young talent, a great coaching staff,” he said. “There’s no part of me that thought this was gonna be an easy game. We had to meet them and exceed the physicality. Obviously they brought it today. They wanted to win the game. Like I said it was a team effort to win tonight.”

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Mumbai: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday intercepted a massive drug smuggling attempt at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Security personnel seized approximately 2 kg of high-grade hydroponic weed, valued at nearly Rs 2 crore.  A loader employed with a ground-handling agency has been detained in connection with the smuggling attempt, officials said.  

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 The loader, who had authorised access to restricted airside areas as part of his duties, was intercepted at a staff exit gate while attempting to exit the terminal with a backpack during routine security checks. During screening via the X-ray Baggage Inspection System (X-BIS), CISF personnel detected dense, suspicious images that did not match the declared contents of the bag. "The operator flagged the bag, and the individual was immediately intercepted for a detailed search," a CISF official said.  

During a subsequent physical inspection of the bag, personnel recovered contraband items. The matter was immediately referred to the Customs Department, which identified the substance as hydroponic weed weighing around 2 kg, a potent, soil-less variety of cannabis that commands a premium in the illicit market, and estimated its value at around  Rs 2 crore. 

Sources said that the Customs Department noted that the high valuation suggests the shipment was likely sourced from international markets, where such high-potency strains are cultivated under controlled indoor environments. The accused loader, along with the seized contraband, was handed over to the Customs Department for further legal action under relevant  NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, as investigators begin a "reverse-trail" to identify the source of the shipment.

Officials said they are now probing whether the accused was acting as a "mule" for a larger smuggling syndicate or operating independently. "We are examining all angles, including potential insider collusion and external links," an official familiar with the probe said. Agencies are currently analyzing CCTV footage from cargo handling areas and staff exit points to trace the suspect's movements.  

The incident has once again highlighted concerns over insider threats in high-security zones such as airports, particularly involving personnel with authorised access. Security agencies have in recent years stepped up surveillance and random checks on ground staff to plug such vulnerabilities.

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