Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was fined $ 20,000 for “directing inappropriate language to a game official,” the NBA announced on Thursday.
The incident occurred in the final possession of the Hawks’ 118-117 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center.
Young had been knocked to the ground while placing a canvas in the center of Dallas Willie Cauley-Stein before the pass on the field with 4.7 seconds remaining, preventing him from receiving the ball when the play was planned.
After Danilo Gallinari’s difficult horn attempt resounded in the ring, Young ripped off his mouthpiece and went towards referee Josh Tiven to protest the critical non-call.
Tiven, the team boss, told a pool reporter after the game that Cauley-Stein’s contact was “considered accidental”, so he didn’t blow the whistle. Tiven said the refereeing team came to the same conclusion after reviewing the video of the post-game play.
The NBA said on Thursday that “the move Young contested was rightly called no-call.”
“According to the rules of the game, Willie Cauley-Stein of Dallas was entitled to a normal step on a screen from behind, which he took, and which led to a legal and accidental contact between Cauley-Stein and Young,” said the turns on.
Young had 25 points and 15 assists in defeat.
“I am not going to run away from the ball with four seconds left and we are trying to win the game,” he said. “I am not going to fall just to fall in the end. This is the most frustrating part. Not having the opportunity to make a move in the end is really frustrating.”