Dejounte Murray reveals message to Scoot Henderson after Hawks beat Blazers

The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) captured a relatively easy victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, their third straight win and at a critical juncture of the season.

After the game, Hawks star Dejounte Murray was seen chatting up Blazers guard and rookie No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson. Asked about the contents of their discussion, Murray kept it big picture.

“One thing you'll see about me, I always try to give knowledge and help the young guys coming in the league,” Murray told reporters on March 27. “I feel like that's what you're supposed to do when you're a guy that's been in this league, seen a lot in this league. It cost nothing to give back knowledge and just free game for him to better himself.

“Just letting him know stay confident, keep working, and ‘You belong’. And keep that mindset; stay humble through everything – ups and downs – and he'll be great.”

It was another rough night for Henderson in what has been an underwhelming first season.

The former G League Ignite star finished the contest with 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting, adding six assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Henderson also turned the ball over six times and was called for four personal fouls.

It was a different story for Murray, who continued his strong play on the season with a 30-point effort, adding seven assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

Quin Snyder praises Dejounte Murray after Hawks' win

“I thought he really set the tone,” Head Coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “He's had a lot of good games. But … his efficiency tonight was just terrific, I thought. Picking his spots. You got 20 shots, which were 20 great shots, and he set people up. He's getting mad at his teammates when they don't shoot.

“One time hunt bobbled it and he said, ‘I'll throw him a better pass.’ 

“On the defensive end as well, and I thought, as I said, I thought he really set the tone for us. And this was a tough game. This was a really good win.”

The Hawks won’t get much time to revel in their roll, though, with the Boston Celtics on deck for Thursday. They beat the Celtics on Monday, overcoming a 30-point deficit and snapping the visitor’s nine-game winning streak.

It would have been easy to suffer a letdown against the lowly Blazers.

Dejounte Murray gets honest about staying locked in after big win over Celtics

“A lot of people keep saying that that was a big win [over Boston],” Murray said. “They're probably the best team in the league right now. But in any given night, any team could be beat, so I don't think we go into no game saying, ‘We're going to lose tonight.’ We're all confident guys and that was a great night but that was in the past.

“Today we played Portland Trail Blazers, and they came out a bunch of guys young, guys trying to make a name for themselves playing hard, being aggressive. So those nights are more to worry about because you could see a lot of slippage.

“We stayed together and we got a great win.”

They host the Celtics in a rematch on the second leg of this back-to-back before the Milwaukee Bucks come in on March 30 to finish this five-game homestand before heading back out on the road.