On Saturday night, a chippy play between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks became a little too violent. After exchanging comments, Marcus Smart and Trae Young wrestled each other to the ground.
Follow Us
Marcus Smart and Trae Young made for a chippy combo on Saturday in Atlanta, as one might anticipate. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Star point guard got into it in the waning minutes of a game between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, and both ended up on the floor after Smart brought Young down with him.
The catalyst for the altercation appeared to be a stray kick by Young that ended up striking Smart in a sensitive place during a drive. Young refused to back down when Smart challenged him.
Smart was ejected, while Young was called for a technical foul. Smart, though, had the final laugh, as the Celtics won 134-125 minutes later. Young scored 35 points and 13 assists, while Smart had 11 points and six assists.
During the game, official Sean Wright explained to a pool reporter why Young was given a technical foul, characterising the guard as “standing up and pointing in Marcus Smart’s face.” Meanwhile, Smart was described as “grabs [Young] and slams him to the ground.”
After the game, neither player said much, and Hawks head coach Quin Snyder stated, “It’s over,” and indicated a desire to move on. The Celtics’ record improves to 47-21, putting them 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
READ MORE: Is Lebron James on PED’s? This mega UFC star says ‘We Have The Same Drug Guy’
Jordan Poole was called for an unusual technical foul during the Warriors’ 137-128 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Poole was penalised for a personal foul as he attempted to steal the ball from Thunder player Jaylin Williams. After Poole returned the basketball to Tiven, the referee punished Poole with a technical foul, much to the amazement of almost everyone in the Paycom Center.
The Warriors teammates weren’t the only ones who were perplexed by the technical foul. Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, who had the night off Tuesday, commented on the call on Twitter. Poole scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting to help the Warriors fall to 7-25 on the road this season. Poole’s technical foul in the fourth quarter was his 12th of the season, ranking sixth in the NBA and second on the Warriors behind Draymond Green (15).
NBA players and coaches are banned without pay for one game after receiving their 16th technical foul of the season. That means Poole has three techs to spare in the Warriors’ last 16 games. The technical foul did not necessarily cost the Warriors a win in Oklahoma City. There were several additional reasons for the defeat, like as Golden State’s 21 turnovers. But it didn’t matter, because the Thunder scored on the next possession and outscored the Warriors 28-22 the rest of the way.
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
