As you might expect, Marcus Smart and Trey Young formed a chippy pair on Saturday in Atlanta.
In the final minutes of a game between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, the defensive player of the year and the All-Star point guard got into it, to the point that both ended up on the floor after Young was taken down by Smart. . ,
The inspiration for the run-in came when a stray kick from Young ended up hitting Smart in a vulnerable area on the drive. Smart immediately confronted Young, who did not back down.
The end result was an ejection for Smart and a technical foul for Young. Smart got the last laugh, however, as the Celtics won 134–125 minutes later. Young finished the game with 35 points and 13 assists, while Smart had 11 points and six assists.
Official Sean Wright explains decision to give technical to Young to a pool reporter after the game, describing the guard as “getting up and pointing in Marcus Smart’s face.” Meanwhile, Smart’s side of the action was referred to as “grab (Young) and slam him to the ground.”
Neither player said much after the game, and Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder said, “It’s over” and expressed his desire to move on.
The NBA fined Smart $25,000 on Monday for his role in the incident. Young was not punished.
The win improved the Celtics’ record to 47–21 and moved them 1.5 games behind the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
