Murray hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left (his second straight and the game-winner on his last shot) and the Atlanta Hawks spoiled Haslem’s off night by beating the Miami Heat 109-108 on Friday.
“First of all, credit to Haslem,”
said Murray, who led the Hawks with 22 points. But we wanted to spoil the night tonight. We wanted to win tonight. On Wednesday night at home, Murray hit a 17-foot jumper in overtime to give Atlanta a 106-104 victory over Orlando.
DEJOUNTE MURRAY FOR THE LEAD WITH 2 SECONDS LEFT🤯pic.twitter.com/VhQJ4gfuRG
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2024
The Hawks now have to wait one more game to see if they can get their second win. The guns were unsuccessful. Bogdanovic hit two free throws and the Hawks trailed, and Murray connected.
“I can’t say enough about Dejounte,”
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
Bogi Buckets for the lead 🏹 pic.twitter.com/wpbJZv4e4j
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 20, 2024
Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 25 points for the Heat, who extended their home winning streak to 22 games against Eastern Division opponents through March 2021. The Heat were the undefeated team in divisional play on Friday.
“It was a bad play and I regret that call,”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Atlanta was without Trae Young, who missed his third game of the season with an injury and averaged 27.2 points and 10.9 assists. The Hawks are 2-1 in those three scoreless games with an assist advantage.
Miami used Kyle Lowry for the first time this season, and Martin stepped into the starting lineup, giving the Heat their first 23 points in the first 42 games of the season.
It was 36 minutes from the end of the second quarter to the start of the third on Friday when Haslem and Heat president Pat Riley spoke at an awards ceremony where the No. 40 flag was hung on the stadium floors.
“He hit a really hard shot,”
Spoelstra said.
The Hawks faced the Miami Heat without star player Trae Young and were looking for a three-game winning streak.
Bogi for the lead AGAIN 🏹🏹🏹 pic.twitter.com/DtfmgCayNa
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 20, 2024
Dejounte Murray took Young’s place at senior point guard and helped get the Hawks into trouble early. However, Atlanta failed to make progress in the second half, and Miami went on a 10-2 run to chase the score to 34-34.
Atlanta responded when Dejounte Murray came back into the game and began to tie the Heat’s shooting range. Atlanta then held Miami until halftime, with the Hawks heading into the locker room leading 57-56.
Unfortunately, the Heat were on full fire again and soon extended their lead to 8 points at 67-59. But as the defensive pressure increased, Atlanta ended the quarter on a 9-2 run. After three quarters, the Miami Heat led 83-81.
In the final quarter, the Hawks’ scorer quickly scored after Bogdan Bogdanovic’s deep bomb. The game got down to business in the first half of the fourth quarter, with the Heat leading by five points.
Atlanta couldn’t shake Miami, however, and Jimmy Butler took control, giving the Heat a 103-102 lead with less than two minutes left.
The Heat struggled to score in the half, including a 3-pointer from Tyler Herro. With Atlanta trailing by four with 35 seconds left, Bogdanovic scored and made two free throws to pull the Hawks within two. Then, Dejounte Murray hit another long shot to give the Hawks a one-point lead.
DEJOUNTE MURRAY. PULL-UP 3 FOR THE WIN.
His 2nd game-winner in a row after his buzzer-beater on Wednesday 🤯😱 pic.twitter.com/dKfJKUxAaJ
— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2024
Dejounte Murray finished the game with 22 points and 11 assists, including the last 3 points. Jalen Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Fans reacted as follows:
Wow, that clutch shot by Murray had my heart racing! Amazing!
— rey (@rey64290279) January 20, 2024
Do not trade this man
— Jay Edlin (@Jay_Edlin) January 20, 2024
Brilliant 👍🏻😍
— Talha Ktk (@TalhaKhattak979) January 20, 2024
Incredible 😊😍
— Talha Ktk (@TalhaKhattak979) January 20, 2024
Two unforced TOs under the baskets!
— Will Gribble (@willgribble) January 20, 2024
MURRAY AGAIN OMGGG
— ⚡️𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕩‼️⚡️ (@RatioedByAlex) January 20, 2024
Your team is tired with 5 seconds left but it’s against the Hawks and Dejounte Murray pic.twitter.com/kMs936m43r
— At The Buzzer (@AtTheBuzzer1) January 20, 2024
Murray Magic 😈😈
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 20, 2024
Damn.. everyone has interest in trading for Dejounte now.. pic.twitter.com/4TPjiedfYU
— ImJustMeAbel (@ImJustMeAbel) January 20, 2024
THIS IS TOUGH, NO TIMEOUT JUST ATTACKS the DEFENSE WHILE THEY TRY TO SET UP ……!!!
— Rai Irfan (@RaiIrfan_) January 20, 2024
Wow, Dejounte Murray has truly stood out in recent games. His back-to-back wins and the skill of pulling up for a 3-pointer showcase his multitasking abilities and confidence. It feels like he's creating memorable moments for his team.
— Nam Ninh Vương (@namninhvuong) January 20, 2024
