It was a nightmare Play-In showing for Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. What started as a chance to lock in the 7th seed quickly spiraled into frustration, missed opportunities—and an early exit for their star guard. The Orlando Magic dominated from the jump, and with the game slipping away, Young’s emotions boiled over. Midway through the fourth quarter, he was ejected after a wild sequence of outbursts aimed at the referees.

It started with a heated pass fired at an official after a made shot—good for his first technical. Seconds later, Young escalated things by kicking the ball away before it could reach another ref. That earned him tech number two and a trip to the locker room. And just to cap it off, he tossed in a fake pass toward a ref on his way out. Frustration? That’s putting it lightly.

After the game, crew chief James Williams put some serious allegations on the Hawks superstar, saying he made “a mockery of the game.” Well, this NBA pool report statement could spark controversy for the refs, especially because Trae blamed them for the way he acted. “Sometimes I take my frustration out on the refs not just for me, it’s for my teammates. I see Dyson Daniels going, I mean he may not be a household name yet but he deserves the same amount of respect as some of these other guys. If you see a foul, you just call the foul. That’s pretty much all it was for me. I mean, for me it’s just that. Nothing more, nothing less.” He said in the postgame presser.

Yes, Trae claims he acted the way he did because he was not pleased with how the refs officiated the game. Ice Trae didn’t just stop there—he also pointed out the Magic players’ physicality that went unnoticed by the officials, “I think there were a lot of plays throughout the game… I think they have a bunch of talented players, but there are a lot of plays and moments that guys want to try to be more physical to the point where it is not necessarily basketball at that point.” While Trae let his emotions get the better of him tonight, he swears to keep them in check on Friday.

Trae Young vows to not let NBA Refs frustrate him as Hawks fight to avoid elimination

When Trae got ejected, the outcome of the game was already determined. The Hawks got blown out, and the Magic booked the seventh seed. Now, the Atlanta team will have one final chance to make the playoffs on Friday as they face the winner of tomorrow’s Bulls vs Heat clash. Of course, Friday’s winner will fill the final playoff spot whereas the loser’s season will come to an end.

So, Young is focused on not repeating tonight’s mistake as he understands what’s at stake, “It’s one game. I’m not letting people think about what I’m feeling and things like that. I’m not gonna let the refs frustrate me like that in our next game. I know we gotta win or go home next so I’m gonna be ready.”

Well, the Hawks haven’t had much playoff success since they made the Conference Finals four years ago. Moreover, they failed to make the postseason last year. Trae Young wants to change that and put his team back on the map. Do you think he can do it?