NBA
Hawks’ Dejounte Murray on loss to Nets: ‘That s—t on me, not on Nate’
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All posts by James FoglioUpdated29 Dec 2022
Dejounte Murray feels responsible for the Atlanta Hawks’ 108-107 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. During Thursday afternoon, the sixth-year guard made his point clear on Twitter.
The 26-year-old tweeted: “Dejounte Makes Both Free Throws And We Go To OT And Calling A Timeout Doesn’t Matter!!! That S—t On Me And Not On Nate SIMPLE AS THAT!!!!!!”
Based on a few NBA betting sites, the Hawks have the 16th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A number of sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
*Dejounte Makes Both Free Throws And We Go To OT And Calling A Timeout Doesn’t Matter!!! That Shit On Me And Not On Nate SIMPLE AS THAT!!!!!! https://t.co/XGUtzGDP2e
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) December 29, 2022
Atlanta fans were quick to throw Hawks coach Nate McMillan under the bus for not calling a timeout in the final six seconds. Of course, the team played without leading scorer Trae Young, starter De’Andre Hunter, and rebound leader Clint Capela.
“I saw fight from our guys tonight,” McMillan said after the loss. You can live with that. I thought from start to finish we stepped up and played. We didn’t think about the guys that were out. The guys that were playing came out and played to win.”
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray believes he should receive more blame for loss against Nets, not coach Nate McMillan
Murray ended his performance with 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in 40 minutes of action. He shot 10-of-26 (38.5%) from the floor and knocked down one 3-pointer.
Additionally, Murray missed a layup from the baseline with 50.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter. And the guard missed a 27-footer with 0.1 seconds remaining.
The former Spur made one of his two free throws with less than 30 seconds left in regulation. But a combination of factors led to this loss, especially injuries. McMillan decided not to use a timeout because he wanted to “catch them in transition.”
Nate McMillan on choosing not to call timeout at the end of the #Hawks v Nets game
Wanted to keep Brooklyn from getting set on defense so he had his guys go. @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/NE9imjeWal
— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) December 29, 2022
Without Young, Hunter, and Capela, the Hawks were fortunate to lose by just one point. Having said that, a loss is still a loss. Atlanta outscored the Nets 60-50 in the paint and at one point had a 15-point lead. Though, the team missed too many baskets. The Hawks shot 42-of-97 (43.3%) from the field.
Atlanta has now lost three of its last four games.
Nets guard Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant finished with 26 points and a season-high 16 rebounds as well. Brooklyn is now on a 10-game win streak, its longest since winning 10 straight back in the 2005-06 season.
Through 30 starts this season, Murray is averaging 20.5 points, 5.3 boards, 6.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. To add to these statistics, he’s shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.7% beyond the arc.
