Marcus Smart fined $25K after scuffle with Trae Young at end of Celtics-Hawks game
Both Marcus Smart and Trae Young hit the floor near the end of Sunday's game in Atlanta.
As you might expect, Marcus Smart and Trae Young made for a chippy pair on Saturday in Atlanta.
In the final minutes of a game between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, the reigning 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 Smart took Young down with him.
The impetus for the run-in appeared to come when a stray kick from Young ended up hitting Smart in a sensitive area on a drive. Smart immediately confronted Young, who didn't back down.
Trae Young and Marcus Smart get CHIPPY 😳 pic.twitter.com/iPxje0RQRz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 12, 2023
The end result was an ejection for Smart and a technical foul for Young. Smart got the last laugh, though, as the Celtics notched a 134-125 win minutes later. Young finished the game with 35 points and 13 assists, while Smart had 11 points and six assists.
Official Sean Wright explained the decision to give Young a technical to a pool reporter after the game, describing the guard as "getting up and pointing in Marcus Smart's face." Smart's side of the action, meanwhile, was said as "grabs [Young] and slams him to the ground."
Neither player said much after the game, and Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said, "It's over" and expressed a desire to move on.
Quin Snyder addresses the Marcus Smart-Trae Young situation 🔊 pic.twitter.com/jYVCIcL7Im
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 12, 2023
The NBA then fined Smart $25,000 for his role in the incident on Monday. Young was not penalized.
The win improved the Celtics' record to 47-21 and moved them to 1.5 games back from the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.