Rolling the Dice on His Way to Vegas, Trae Young Proves He's Always a Safe Bet at MSG

As the clock wound down on Wednesday night, Trae Young dribbled out the final seconds, leaning toward New York's center-court logo and pretending to shoot dice.

“We’re going to Vegas,” Young said, explaining his gesture. “So that’s what I had to do.”

When it comes to Madison Square Garden, it’s always a safe bet on Young.

Though the court was orange this time, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the 2021 playoffs. The Knicks had just been eliminated, and Young was celebrating right in the heart of their arena.

The Hawks’ star guard finished with 22 points and 11 assists, leading his team to a 108-100 victory over New York in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Atlanta will now head to Las Vegas to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Young solidified his villain status among Knicks fans during the 2021 postseason when New York made its first playoff appearance in eight years and was matched up against the Hawks. The Knicks fans jeered him, even mocking his hair, but Young had the last laugh.

In Game 1, he hit a clutch runner with 0.9 seconds left to give Atlanta a 107-105 victory. By Game 5, when the series returned to New York, Young dropped 36 points, taking a bow on the court like a Broadway star as the Hawks sealed the series.

The bow was familiar, but the dice roll? That was a new celebration for this game.

Trae threw dice on the logo  pic.twitter.com/blX2va3IVB

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 12, 2024

“I planned that one with my little brother a few days ago,” Trae Young said, smiling. “We talked about it, and I knew exactly what I was going to do.”

Young mentioned he didn’t hear the typical boos and jeers until late in the game. The Knicks had the upper hand in the first half, even leading by 12 at one point, but Atlanta turned the tide in the third quarter.

As the NBA’s assists leader, Young played a pivotal role in the comeback. He scored eight consecutive points during one stretch of the third quarter, even pointing to the floor to emphasize the depth of his 31-foot 3-pointer, his second in a row.

“There was a point in the game when he could feel the game,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.

In the second half, the Hawks outscored the Knicks 61-46, taking control of the game to the point where several fans began to leave before the final buzzer. The few who remained gave Young one last round of boos during his celebration.

“We should win the game if we don’t want him to do that,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said.