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Bulls, Hawks Benches Clear After Ayo Dosunmu Gets in Trae Young’s Face Over Love Tap

Blake Silverman

Ayo Dosunmu and Trae Young got into a scuffle during the game between the Bulls and Hawks
Ayo Dosunmu and Trae Young got into a scuffle during the game between the Bulls and Hawks / Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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Tempers flared between the Bulls and Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta Tuesday night. Hawks star guard Trae Young was at the center of it, giving a backside tap to Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu as he went to the bench which led to Dosunmu getting in his face and chaos ensuing on the floor.

The mess happened in the fourth quarter with just under seven minutes left in the game and the Hawks out in front by seven points as Dosunmu ran off the floor for a substitution. As he headed toward the Chicago bench, Young gave him a slap on the backside which caused Dosunmu to immediately turn around as the two began to exchange shoves.

Through the madness, it looked like Young extended his arm toward Dosunmu as players and staff members from each side ran in to try and separate the two. Dosunmu looked to have his hand up near Young’s neck in the process, too. You can watch the skirmish below:

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The officials handed out double technical fouls to Young and Dosunmu as both players remained in the game. Atlanta led by 18 points in the second quarter and squandered a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to fall to Chicago 126–123 as the Bulls outscored the Hawks 34–18 in the final frame.

Dosunmu is a strong on-ball defender and has done a great job when guarding Young in matchups between the Bulls and Hawks. Perhaps Atlanta’s four-time All-Star tried to get in the staunch defender’s head in a heated game, leading to tensions boiling toward a brief scuffle.

Young scored 22 points and had 15 assists in the loss, while Dosunmu had six points in 16 minutes off the bench.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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