Marcus Smart fined $25K for tussle with Trae Young

With the Celtics-Hawks game already in the balance with Boston up eight with a minute and a half left in the game, to put it kindly, Marcus Smart and Trae Young got tangled up:

It appeared as though Smart took umbrage with Young kicking back on the drive and striking the Celtics guard in the personal effects. Smart approached Young face-to-face and the two subsequently fell to the floor before both being assessed a technical foul with Smart getting ejected. Per the league, Smart was later fined for “initiating an on-court altercation.”

It’s not the first time that Smart and Young have exchanged words. Back in 2020, Smart stepped over a fallen Young after Daniel Theis blocked a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

Currently, the Hawks are currently the eigth seed in the East and depending on how the standings shake out, Atlanta could be a first round opponent for the Celtics in next month. The two teams will face off again in the final game of the regular season at TD Garden on April 9th.