Securing a playoff berth with a decisive victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday marked a significant achievement for the Orlando Magic, though the game was also notable for the ejection of Hawks guard Trae Young.
Despite contributing 28 points and six assists in his 40 minutes on the court, Young’s participation ended abruptly following two technical fouls. The first came after he demonstrably tossed a pass towards a referee while celebrating a basket with just under five minutes remaining in the contest.
Moments later, an incident involving him kicking the ball away further escalated the situation, leading to his dismissal from the game.
The NBA officially cited Young’s actions as “making a mockery of the game.” Referee James Williams elaborated on the sequence of events:
“Trae Young received his first unsportsmanlike technical foul for throwing the ball at a game official. 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.”
The Magic ultimately triumphed over the Hawks with a score of 120-95, clinching the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
Young defended his behavior following his ejection:
“Sometimes when I take my frustration out on the refs it’s not just for me, it’s for my teammates. I see Dyson Daniels going; he may not be a household name yet, but he deserves the same amount of respect as some of these other guys. If you see a foul, you should call a foul. That’s pretty much all it was for me.”
For the Magic, Wendall Carter Jr. led the scoring with 19 points, while star forward Paolo Banchero contributed 17.
Banchero reflected on the game’s dynamic:
“It was a fun game, a big-time game, a unique type of challenge. I was interested to see how they were going to try to guard me. You could tell in the first quarter I was trying to get my teammates involved, moving the ball, and those guys got going. They carried us throughout the game.”
The Orlando Magic will now face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Key Highlights:
- Orlando Magic secured the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
- Trae Young was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Wendell Carter Jr. scored 19 points for the Magic.
- Paolo Banchero added 17 points and emphasized team involvement.
- The Magic will face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
