Dejounte Murray returns to State Farm Arena and Hawks spoil the party, win fourth straight 124-112
The Atlanta Hawks came into Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on a three-game win streak. They are heading to Milwaukee for a Wednesday meeting with the Bucks on a four-game win streak after defeating New Orleans
Murray took the last shot of the first half and it was an airball and left the court to boos.
Former Hawks guard and fan favorite Dejounte Murray was in the starting lineup for the Pelicans. Making his return to State Farm Arena after getting traded to New Orleans, Murray received the “Thank You” video montage treatment midway through the first quarter. There were smatterings of boos and cheers during the one-minute highlight film that featured Murray hitting a couple of game-winning shots for the Hawks during his season-and-a-half in Atlanta. Murray didn’t waste his only game of the season in Atlanta, scoring five points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out four assists during the first quarter to help lead New Orleans to a 28-26 advantage.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum scored six straight points to give his team a 42-35 lead at 7:17 mark of the second quarter. Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher kept Atlanta in the game with several dunks and a reverse layup. Risacher, the first overall pick in the draft, came into the game averaging 11.6 points and just over three rebounds per game.
The game was also a homecoming of sorts for Pelicans forward Brandon Boston, Jr., who played part of his high school basketball career at Norcross High School. Boston and McCollum led all Pelicans scorers with 14 points at halftime.
The third quarter began with the teams trading leads and the Hawks down by two points, 71-69, at the 6:19 mark. Atlanta’s leading scorer, Trae Young, had only scored four points at that point of the game. A floater in the lane and a three-pointer from Young extended the Atlanta lead to 80-73 late in the quarter. The seven-point lead was the Hawks’ largest of the game to that point.
De’Andre Hunter, the hottest Hawks scorer during the three-game win streak, found his mark late in the third quarter as well, connecting on consecutive three-point attempts to give Atlanta its first double-digit lead of the game. The lead would be seven points at the end of the quarter thanks to a drive and score from second-year guard Kobe Bufkin. Hunter scored a team-high 22 points during the game, his average during the win streak.
What’s Next: The Hawks will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Dec. 6 and the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Dec. 8.
