Ayo Dosunmu and Trae Young Get Into It During Bulls' Comeback Win Over Hawks

During the fourth quarter of the battle between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls, tensions were high.

Up by as much as 18 points, the Hawks were trying to prevent the Bulls from making it another clutch game. Jalen Johnson had just drained the driving layup to push the Hawks' lead back up to 7 points and drew the whistle.

During the stoppage of play as the forward prepared for his free throw attempt, Ayo Dosunmu was called to sub out by head coach Billy Donovan. As he made a break for the bench, Trae Young shared some words before slapping Dosunmu on the behind. The Chicago native didn't take it lightly.

Dosunmu immediately turned around and got in Young's face. As he backed him down, Young gave Dosunmu a shove before the Bulls' guard grabbed him on top of the shoulder. Teammates quickly rushed in as the two got tied up and eventually separated the two players. Unsurprisingly, the tie-up led to an official review.

While some of the contact looks like it could potentially lead to an ejection, the refs decided to keep both in the game and administer double technicals.

Chicago Sports Network shared the scuffle on social media:

Ayo Dosunmu & Trae Young get into and the benches clear 😳

📺Bulls-Hawks: https://t.co/4tOTm9TeTQ pic.twitter.com/yleJnuDwt9
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) December 24, 2025

Bulls vs. Hawks may be a renowned rivalry, but these two teams have gone at it over the past handful of years. More specifically, there has been a growing narrative around Young and Dosunmu. The Bulls' guard has become known for his strong play against Atlanta, but even more so for giving Young a run for his money.

Dosunmu had an 11-2 record against Young over his career coming into the night. He also helped hold Young to under 37.5 percent shooting in eight of their 13 meetings. To be sure, Young had gotten the best of the Bulls for most of the night in this meeting, but it's hard not to think that this history played a role in the heated emotions.

Indeed, Dosunmu isn't known for being confrontational. The guard has built up a rather stoic persona, and he's even been known to be one of the first to calm down his teammates when things get heated. In other words, Young must have really said something to get under his skin, or at least the matchup has come to mean that much more to him.

Nevertheless, the scuffle seemed to work in the Bulls' favor. While Young recorded 22 points and 15 assists to Dosunmu's 6 points and 2 assists, the Bulls used the energy boost to walk off the floor with the victory over Atlanta. They held the Hawks to only 18 points in the final frame and 30.4 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulls now have four wins in a row for the first time since their 5-0 start to the year, and it's also their first time winning three on the road during the 2025-26 campaign.