NBA Ref Explains Trae Young's Ejection After Hawks' NBA Play-In Loss vs. Magic

Trae Young's night came to an end prematurely on Tuesday as the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Orlando Magic in the NBA play-in tournament.

The point guard was ejected with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter after picking up two quick technical fouls—the first for throwing the ball at an official and the second for kicking the ball away before the Magic shot free throws.

Crew Chief James Williams explained the decision to eject Young during a pool report interview with the Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede (via Andscape's Marc J. Spears).

"He received his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for kicking the ball away and making a mockery of the game as were were attempting to shoot the free throw for the first technical foul," Williams said. "And by rule when the player receives two unsportsmanlike fouls he's ejected from the game."

Young said his frustrations mounted after he felt the Magic's physicality got out of hand.

"They're a physical team. I've had two teammates hurt this year in one game against them," he said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN). "I'm not going to call them dirty players or anything like that. I think they have a lot of talented players. But a lot of the plays and the moments ... it's not even necessarily basketball at that point. I think that's where the frustration got."

It was a frustrating fourth quarter for Young and the Hawks. Atlanta trailed by just six points heading into the final quarter, but the Magic went on a run and were up 20 by the time Young was ejected.

His frustration boiled over as the door closed on Atlanta's hopes of securing the No. 7 seed.

Young plays the game with plenty of passion, and sometimes he's passionate to a fault. He picked up 14 technical fouls this season, tied for the fifth most in the NBA.

Despite the ejection, the 26-year-old had a good game, posting a game-high 28 points along with six assists. Ultimately, though, it wasn't enough to lead Atlanta to a win.

Young and the Hawks will now need to put the frustrating game behind them as they shift their focus a play-in game that will decide their postseason fate. Atlanta will face the winner of the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat's matchup. A win on Friday means a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, while a loss means the offseason starts early.

The Hawks' season ended in the play-in tournament a year ago, and they're hoping to have a deeper postseason run this year.

"I'm not going to let the refs frustrate me like that in our next game," Young said. "I know we've got to win or go home next game, and I'm going to be ready."