Murray’s Heroics
Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 44 points, including a buzzer-beater with 0.1 seconds left in overtime, paying homage to his idol Kobe Bryant, and led the Hawks to a 123-122 victory over the Boston Celtics, who had the last shot but ended the game in a humorous manner.
Repeat Victory
The Hawks and Celtics clashed just four days ago, with the Hawks securing their second victory over the league-leading Boston Celtics in four days.
Competitive Spirit
Reflecting on the game, Murray stated during a post-game interview, “This is the NBA, right? They’re the best team in the league, but we competed all game.”
Record-Setting Performance
Despite a shooting percentage barely above 40%, Murray attempted 44 shots in the game, marking the 8th occurrence and 3rd player in the past 20 years in the NBA to attempt over 44 shots in a single game.
Tribute to Kobe
Murray, who idolized Kobe Bryant since childhood, commented, “I still feel like I played terrible. I didn’t want to shoot that many times, but I know Kobe would still be proud of me.”
Celtics’ Misfortune
In the final seconds of the game, the Celtics, with possession for the last shot, saw Derrick White attempt to inbound the ball from the sideline with only 0.1 seconds left. However, White’s pass directly went into the basket, resulting in a violation and possession turnover to the Hawks.
Unintentional Comedy
White’s accidental shot from out of bounds added an element of unintended humor to the game’s conclusion, as his pass directly scoring meant the Celtics’ attempt to tie or win the game ended in an unusual and comical manner.
Regulatory Constraints
White’s miscue highlighted the NBA’s rule stipulating that a complete shooting motion must take at least 0.3 seconds, leaving no room for the Celtics to execute a proper last-second shot attempt.
Conclusion
In a game filled with dramatic moments, Murray’s clutch performance and the Celtics’ comedic ending provided a memorable conclusion to an intense matchup between the Hawks and the Celtics. (Lvbet)
