The Hawks were hanging around — down eight inside 1:30 left in the game — trying to pull off an incredible comeback when Trae Young put up a shot on the drive, his foot kicked back and appeared to catch Marcus Smart in the groin, and Smart takes exception. The two men scuffle and go to the ground.
Marcus Smart and Trae Young getting scrappy 👀 pic.twitter.com/QOtr87hL1f
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 12, 2023
Smart was ejected for the play, Young got a technical foul.
When Young was asked postgame about the incident he decided not to say anything about the officials, “I’m not gonna Fred VanVleet these people” (referencing VanVleet’s rant that cost him $30,000).
The Celtics held on to win by a final score of 134–125, and that combined with the Bucks’ loss to the Warriors leaves Boston just 1.5 games back of Milwaukee for the top seed in the East.
