Atlanta Hawks goalie Trae Young has been fined $ 20,000 for “targeting inappropriate language to a game official,” the NBA announced Thursday.
The incident occurred in the final possession of the Hawks’ 118-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center.
Young had been knocked to the floor as he set up a screen in downtown Dallas, Willie Cauley-Stein, before the innings passed with 4.7 seconds left, preventing him from receiving the ball as the game was conceived.
After a fine move down the middle Danilo Gallinari nearly gave the home side a goal after 29 minutes. The finishing shot went just wide, though.
Tiven, the chief of the crew, told a reporter at the pool after the match that the contact at Cauley-Stein was “considered incidental”, so he did not whistle. Tiven said the officer’s crew came to the same conclusion after analyzing the song’s postgame video.
The NBA said Thursday that “the game Young challenged was properly eliminated without appeal.”
“According to the rules of the game, Willie Cauley-Stein of Dallas was entitled to a normal step on a back screen, which he did and which led to incidental and legal contact between Cauley-Stein and Young,” the league said.
Young had 25 points and 15 assists in the loss.
“I will not run away from the ball with four seconds left and we are 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 the opportunity to play a piece at the end is just frustrating.”