The Boston Celtics were up by eight points with over a minute left in the fourth quarter on Saturday night against the Hawks in Atlanta.
As the Hawks were working towards a potential comeback, Trae Young drove to the basket for a floater. However, in the moment, his back foot elevated just enough to tap Marcus Smart below the belt.
Smart didn’t appreciate the gesture, walking right up to Young to let him know, leading to Young tripping Smart to the floor where both teams got involved.
Out of all the players involved in the middle of this scuffle, it was Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla who pulled Smart out of the pile in what looked like a rescue mission.
This entire scuffle happened due to an overreaction by both players. Sure, Smart may have been a little overzealous, but Young could’ve at least acknowledged he kicked Smart while in the air.
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Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
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