Trae Young Ejected as Hawks Fall to Magic by 25

The Atlanta Hawks will have one more opportunity to secure a spot in the postseason, but Tuesday night’s performance in Orlando was not an encouraging sight.

Facing the Magic on the road with the 7-seed on the line, the Hawks came out flat and trailed by 15 at the end of the first quarter. While Atlanta eventually cut the deficit to six heading into the final 12 minutes, it was pummeled in the fourth en route to a 120-95 loss. Making matters worse, star guard Trae Young was ejected with 4:47 remaining after receiving two unnecessary technical fouls.

Young’s first technical was a result of hurling the ball towards referee James Williams following a made basket. Seconds later, Young stuck his foot out to stop the ball from reaching referee Pat Fraher as the officials attempted to proceed with Orlando shooting its free throw — Young’s actions resulted in his ejection.

“Trae Young received his first unsportsmanlike technical foul for throwing the ball at a game official,” Williams told a pool reporter after the game. “He received his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for kicking the ball away and making a mockery of the game as we were attempting to shoot the free throw for the first technical foul, and by rule when the player receives two unsportsmanlike fouls, he’s ejected from the game.”

Young’s field goal prior to his first technical cut Orlando’s lead to 22 points. With under five minutes remaining the game was all but over, but Young still felt the need to make a statement for his team.

“Sometimes when I take my frustration out on the refs, it’s not just for me,” Young said. “It’s for my teammates. I see Dyson Daniels going; he may not be a household name yet, but he deserves the same amount of respect as some of these other guys. If you see a foul, you should call a foul. That’s pretty much all it was for me.”

In the case of last night, the calls on the court don’t necessarily back up Young’s theory. In total, the Magic were called for 25 personal fouls compared to Atlanta’s 18. The Hawks also took more free throws than Orlando (34-27). Young furthered his point by talking about Orlando’s style of play.

“They’re a physical team. I’ve had two teammates hurt this year in one game against them,” Young said. “I’m not going to call them dirty players or anything like that. I think they have a lot of talented players. But a lot of the plays and the moments … it’s not even necessarily basketball at that point. I think that’s where the frustration got.”

On Friday, Atlanta will host the winner of Wednesday night’s tilt between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

“I’m not going to let the refs frustrate me like that in our next game,” Young said. “I know we’ve got to win or go home next game, and I’m going to be ready.”