Atlanta Hawks rookie star Trae Young was ejected for taunting Kris Dunn during a win against the Chicago Bulls.
The ejection came with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter of the Hawks’ 123-118 win Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Young tossed up a 3-pointer from very deep and swished it, giving the Hawks a 78-62 lead.
But Young stuck around a little too long after making the shot, staring in Dunn’s direction with his hands on his hips. Officials ruled that Young was taunting on the play, giving him his second technical foul of the game and resulting in an ejection for the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“I hit a shot,” Young told reporters. “I play with a lot of flair. I play with a lot of energy and emotion and have fun. For me, I hit a shot and I just looked … it was just a look. I didn’t say anything.”
“They made the call, I just have to live with it.”
Young and Dunn each picked up technical fouls with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter. Those infractions came when Young threw up a 3-pointer after the Hawks called a timeout. He hit Dunn on his follow-through. Dunn responded by turning around and hitting Young on the back of his head. The players had to be separated before they were assessed with the fouls.
Young had 18 points and was 3-for-4 from downtown in 18 minutes of action before getting tossed. Dunn had 14 points and six assists in 27 minutes for the Bulls.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what happened,” Dunn told BullsTV. “All I know is that he got ejected. I feel like he shouldn’t have been ejected.”
Alex Len scored a game-high 28 points and had nine rebounds for the Hawks. Young went off for 49 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds in a loss to Dunn and the Bulls Friday in Atlanta.
“I don’t know if he was still mad about last game or whatever but I’m not surprised,” Young said.
The Hawks face the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. Monday at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
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