The Atlanta Hawks secured a 143-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t without some controversy. Hawks star Trae Young was ejected from the game after he threw the ball at an official midway through the third quarter at State Farm Arena.
Trae Young Gets Ejected
The incident occurred after Young was called for an offensive foul on a 3-point shot from the logo. Tyrese Haliburton then drilled a 3-pointer on the other end, and the Hawks called a timeout. However, Young was still fuming and slammed the ball down once before turning to throw it back to the official. In a moment of frustration, he whipped the ball hard toward the official just as the official was moving to go to the Hawks’ bench.
Although the ball contacting the ref wasn’t captured on video, Young’s pass hit the official, prompting his immediate ejection from the game. This was a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive performance from Young, who finished with 23 points and 8 assists in just 23 minutes of play. The Hawks are in danger of being without their star player for a game if Trae gets another tech, which is sure to be a significant blow as they continue to battle for a playoff spot. Trae is one tech away from his 15th on the season which is an automatic one-game suspension. The Hawks currently sit 8th in the East at 37-37.
“It’s just a play he can’t make,” coach Quin Snyder said. “I told him that and he knows it and owns it, for a lot of reasons. Frustration can’t get to that point. When it does that can’t be your response. He’s not the only one who’s lost their cool, but we’re not talking about anyone else right now, we’re talking about Trae. He’s too good of a player and we need him. … There wasn’t a single part of him that was trying to rationalize what happened.”
Trae Young just got ejected after throwing the ball to the ref with PACE 😬
He now has 15 technicals this season. pic.twitter.com/GD9h8mkAOH
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) March 25, 2023
The Hawks Still Win
Although the game was tied when Young was ejected, the Hawks rallied in the fourth quarter to pull ahead and claim the win. John Collins led the team with 21 points, while Dejounte Murray contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds. Clint Capela also had an impressive performance, finishing with 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Jordan Nwora put up an impressive showing for the Pacers, scoring 33 points and grabbing 7 rebounds off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton also had a strong game, finishing with 19 points and 13 assists.
