Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young wanted the referees to let Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons shoot free throws after a late foul.
Late in Game 3 between the Hawks and the 76ers, Trae Young found a unique way to insult Philadelphia guard Ben Simmons.
He wanted him to shoot free throws.
After Young fouled Simmons in the fourth quarter, he signaled to the refs to give Simmons shots from the free-throw line rather than let the 76ers take the ball out of bounds.
When your opponent is a career 59.7 percent free-throw shooter, that’s the kind of dig you can make.
Trae Young subtly teased at Ben Simmons free throw shooting issues
Young and the Hawks didn’t get the free throws they wanted from Simmons, though Philadelphia did nothing with the ensuing possession.
Atlanta was down 109-92 at that point and trying to claw their way back into the game. Even Simmons taking free throws wasn’t likely to save them.
Simmons and the 76ers got the last laugh with a 127-111 victory that gives them a 2-1 series lead over the Hawks.
Simmons finished with 18 points, four rebounds and seven assists in a strong outing. He was, however, 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Young was electric as usual with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also had eight assists and two steals.
The trouble was the Hawks shot 47.6 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point distance. They certainly didn’t do enough to neutralize the 76ers on the defensive side, either. Philadelphia shot 58.2 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from distance. Joel Embiid led his team with 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Young will have to regroup along with his team with Game 4 coming up on Monday. If they want to stay alive in the series, they’ll need to make Simmons free throw misses matter by keeping the game much closer than it was for most of Friday.