The Atlanta Hawks saw their season slip through the cracks Tuesday night in a 120-95 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic in their first game of the NBA Play-In tournament.
The Magic jumped out to a big lead in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 22 points with five minutes left. With the game nearing an end, Hawks star Trae Young received back-to-back technical fouls to get himself automatically ejected, finishing with 28 points and six assists on the night.
NBA crew chief James Williams used a funny phrase to explain why Young got his second tech:
“He received his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for kicking the ball away and making a mockery of the game as we were attempting to shoot the free throw for the first technical foul and by rule when the player receives two unsportsmanlike fouls he’s ejected from the game,” Williams said, via the game’s pool report.
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
Young got T’d up the first time when he threw a hard pass to the ref after making a floater. He clearly looked frustrated with how his team was performing in the blowout loss and went on to seemingly play keep-away with a ref on the other end of the court.
When one ref tossed the ball down the court to set up the Magic’s free throw for Young’s first tech, the Hawks star shielded the ball from the other ref who was trying to get ahold of it.
“Mockery of the game” is certainly one way to put it.
The Hawks will look to keep their season alive on Friday competing for the final playoff spot in the East against either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat.
