Trae Young and the Hawks delivered another crushing loss to the Knicks on their home floor at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night — and he made sure New York fans felt the defeat.
In a viral video, Young told a heckler sitting court side to “hold that L,” before he capped off a 45-point performance in Atlanta’s 117-111 win.
It’s unclear what provoked Young to hand-deliver an “L” to that particular fan. The two-time All-Star has embraced the villain role Knicks fans branded him with last postseason.
The Tuesday matchup marked Young’s first game back at the Garden since he blitzed the Knicks in the first round of last season’s playoffs – and became the Mecca’s latest enemy.
Young dropped a career-high 45 points to go with eight assists, a single steal and a block in the Hawks win — his 25th career 40-point game.
After the game, the point guard repeated what he’s previously said about hecklers at the Garden: “At the end of the day, fans can only talk. They can’t guard me. They’re not out there playing.”
Young said it’s all about “letting [his] play do the talking.”
Atlanta is in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, which would put them in the play-in tournament today. The play-in round begins April 12 and concludes April 15. Still, it has been a disappointing season for an Atlanta team looking to build of last season’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have struggled all season long. They are currently twelfth in the East, and out of playoff contention.