It was a night filled with frustration for Trae Young and the Hawks. They headed into tonight’s Play-in encounter against the Magic hoping to bag the seventh seed in the East by getting a win. But the Orlando team took over early and gave them no chance of a comeback. With the game out of reach, emotions got the better of Trae and he got ejected from the game for his controversial antics toward the refs.
Well, it happened midway during the final quarter. Young got penalized with his first technical after he put some extra oomph on his pass to the official following a made shot. The situation escalated when he kicked the ball and prevented it from reaching the second referee on the opposite side of the floor. Sure enough, the whistle blew once again and he got tossed from the game. Even while heading out, Young ball-faked the official, clearly frustrated by the decision and how the game was being officiated.
After the game, crew chief James Williams put some serious allegations on the Hawks superstar, saying he made “a mockery of the game.” Well, this NBA pool report statement could spark controversy for the refs, especially because Trae blamed them for the way he acted. “Sometimes I take my frustration out on the refs not just for me, it’s for my teammates. I see Dyson Daniels going, I mean 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 just call the foul. That’s pretty much all it was for me. I mean for me it’s just that. Nothing more, nothing less.” He said in the postgame presser.
Trae Young was making “a mockery of the game,” crew chief James Williams says in the NBA pool report.
This is an all-timer.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 16, 2025
Yes, Trae claims he acted the way he did because he was not pleased with how the refs officiated the game. He also highlighted the Magic players’ physicality that went unnoticed by the officials, “I think there were a lot of plays throughout the game… I think they have a bunch of talented players, but there are a lot of plays and moments that guys want to try to be more physical to the point where it is not necessarily basketball at that point.” While Trae let his emotions get the better of him tonight, he swears to keep them in check on Thursday.
Trae Young vows to not let NBA Refs frustrate him as Hawks fight to avoid elimination
When Trae got ejected, the outcome of the game was already determined. The Hawks got blown out and the Magic booked the seventh seed. Now, the Atlanta team will have one final chance to make the playoffs on Thursday as they face the winner of tomorrow’s Bulls vs Heat clash. Of course, Thursday’s winner will fill the final playoff spot whereas the loser’s season will come to an end.
So, Young is focused on not repeating tonight’s mistake as he understands what’s at stake, “It’s one game. I’m not letting people think about what I’m feeling and things like that. I’m not gonna let the refs frustrate me like that in our next game. I know we gotta win or go home next so I’m gonna be ready.”
Well, the Hawks haven’t had much playoff success since they made the Conference Finals four years ago. Moreover, they failed to make the postseason last year. Trae Young wants to change that and put his team back on the map. Do you think he can do it?
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