After getting ridiculed by Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler on social media two months ago, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young responded by scoring 50 points against the Heat on Thursday night and then offered a response on Twitter.
The furor started back in December, when Young’s trash-talking came back to haunt him. That’s when a fourth-quarter lead by the Hawks in their Dec. 10 game against the Heat compelled Young to shout, “It’s over!”
The Hawks’ advantage in that game disappeared and turned into Heat overtime victory, with Young’s premature declaration a source of amusement for Butler after the game.
In Thursday night’s contest, it was a fourth-quarter comeback by the Hawks that keyed their win, outscoring the Heat, 39-27, with Young an integral part of the comeback.
For the game, Young scored 50 points in 40 minutes, connecting on 12-of-25 from the field and 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. He also dished out eight assists, grabbed two rebounds, collected two steals and blocked a shot.
The 21-year-old Young is only in his second season after being selected fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, he’s living up to the expectations of the Hawks, averaging 30.1 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game on the year.
As frustrating as the loss is for the Heat, they still have a 35-20 mark, good for fourth-best in the Eastern Conference. That’s in contrast to the rebuilding Hawks, who now have a 16-41 record on the year.
The Heat will look to pick up their first post-All-Star victory when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.