Trae Young Explains Why He Confronted Ref Josh Tiven After Cauley-Stein's Screen

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young said it was "frustrating" the officials didn't call a foul on Dallas Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein for running him over on a screen before the final possession of the Hawks' 118-117 loss on Wednesday night.

Young, who yelled toward referee Josh Tiven immediately after the final buzzer, said the non-call ruined the rhythm of the team's final play, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

"I'm not going to run away from the ball with four seconds left and we're trying to win the game," he said. "I'm not going to fall just to fall at the end. That's just the most frustrating part. Not really having an opportunity to make a play at the end is just really frustrating."

Tiven explained he didn't make a call because he thought the contact was "incidental," and confirmed the officiating crew felt it was the right decision after watching a postgame replay.

Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce said it was a "really unfortunate" ending to the game and felt a foul should have been called, per MacMahon.

"It was a perfect screen," Pierce said. "Willie Cauley-Stein ran Trae over, and that's a foul. It's a foul. It's why Trae was on the floor. It blows up our play. It's unfortunate. I thought our guys really competed. Trae was fouled. He falls on the floor. He gets hit in the nose. He set a great screen. I give him credit; he set a great screen. We tried to execute, and he did."

Cauley-Stein said he doesn't think Young should bank on getting that type of call in the final seconds.

"I ain't even see Trae," he said. "He's a smart kid. He was trying to get a quick, little foul to shoot free throws and ice the game. No way they was going to give him that call for the game. Good try, though. That was smooth. It was sneaky."

Young, who's usually the Hawks' go-to play in clutch situations, finished the contest with 25 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds in 42 minutes. But he could only watch as Danilo Gallinari's mid-range jump shot came up short as time expired.

The loss dropped Atlanta to 11-13, while Dallas improved to 12-14.