Tensions flared between Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Hawks guard Trae Young late in the fourth quarter Saturday night, and their scuffle underneath the basket ended with Smart wrestling Young to the court and being ejected.
According to Yahoo! Sports, one of Young’s feet appeared to connect with Smart’s midsection or groin area as he drove toward the basket for a layup with 1:25 remaining in regulation. Smart walked toward Young following the whistle, the pair started shoving while pressed up against each other and eventually, Smart flipped Young toward the ground — which prompted his ejection.
Sean Wright, the crew chief at State Farm Arena on Saturday, said in a pool interview that Smart was ejected because he “slams [Young] to the ground,” while Young — who was given a technical foul for pointing in Smart’s face — wasn’t ejected because “his actions did not rise to the level of an ejection.”
Once Young reached the ground, other players and staff members helped separate the scuffle. His foul was then assessed when he pointed at Smart after getting up, and the pair kept turning to look in each other’s direction as they were escorted toward their respective benches.
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“This is a competitive game,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder told reporters after the game. “Guys mix it up, and I thought our security guys did a good job keeping everything in line.”
At the time, the Celtics led the Hawks, 129-121, and they held on for a 134-125 victory to string together back-to-back wins after four losses in their previous five games. Smart finished with 11 points and six assists prior to his ejection, while Young led Atlanta — which is currently positioned for the play-in tournament as the No. 8 seed — with 35 points and 13 assists.
Both teams play next on Monday, with Atlanta hosting the Timberwolves and Boston traveling to Houston.
