DALLAS: As soon as Danilo Gallinari’s hard-hitting attempt exploded from the edge, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young tore his mouth open and crashed into referee Josh Tiven to protest the does not criticize the final possession of a 118-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Young had been knocked to the ground while a screen was placed in downtown Dallas, Willie Cauley-Stein, before the entrants passed with 4.7 seconds remaining, preventing him from getting the ball while the play was being designed.
“I’m not going to run away from the ball when four seconds are left and we’re trying to win the game,” said Young, who had 25 points and 15 assists in defeat. “I’m not going to fall just to fall in the end. That’s just the most frustrating part. Not having a chance to do a play in the end is really frustrating.”
Tiven, the head of the crew, told a pool reporter that Cauley-Stein’s contact was considered “incidental,” so he did not whistle. Tiven said the official crew came to the same conclusion after reviewing the video of the postgame game.
Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce vehemently disagreed, arguing that a foul should have been called, which would have meant a free throw for Young and the Hawks to get the ball out of bounds. since contact occurred before the ball was introduced.
“It’s really unfortunate that it ended like this,” Pierce said, adding that Tiven told him Young could have been called to an illegal screen.
“It was a perfect screen,” Pierce said. “Willie Cauley-Stein hit Trae, and that’s a foul. It’s a foul. That’s why Trae was on the ground. He blows our play. It’s unfortunate. I thought our guys really competed. Trae got a missing. ground. It hits your nose. It set up a fantastic screen. I give it credit; it set up a fantastic screen. We tried to run it and it did. “
Dallas star Luka Doncic, who will always be linked with Young after taking part in a draft operation on the night of 2018, recorded his seventh triple-double league lead with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while the Mavs pulled off their biggest comeback. victory of the season, with a deficit of 13 points.
Mavs reserve Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson combined for 24 points in the fourth quarter, as Dallas outscored Atlanta by 10 in the period. Brunson, who scored 11 of his 21 points in the quarter, repeatedly targeted Young as a defender during the stretch.
“Brunson was fantastic,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “A great player like Young is a guy who has to press defensively to try to wear him down a bit, and Jalen did a great job attacking him.”
Cauley-Stein also played a critical role in the win after not being out of the previous two games due to the coach’s decisions. He had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Dallas outscored Atlanta by 19 in its 23 minutes.
Cauley-Stein, who defended John Collins when Young made a screen after the final play, was not surprised that the referees chose not to whistle.
“I don’t even see Trae,” Cauley-Stein. “He’s a smart guy. He was trying to get a quick, small foul to throw free throws and leave the game without ice. In no way were they going to call him for the game. Still, you tried. It was smooth. It was stealing. “
As for Young, Cauley-Stein’s explanation was proof that a foul should have been called.
“Viously, obviously with him saying he didn’t see me [and] running over me, it’s a good screen, “Young said.” I set up a good screen. As I said, he didn’t see me. He turned and ran towards me. And Dorian [Finney-Smith] he wasn’t there, he would have fallen straight back, but he was there and he seemed to be using his hands a bit, so I fell on my side. This is something of what happened.
“He just turned around and didn’t see me, and I was there and he bumped into me. As I was on the ground, the referee was looking at me. He didn’t say anything and didn’t call anything.”