Dejounte Murray shouts out Kobe Bryant & Russell Westbrook, Draws Praise from Trae Young

On a night when Atlanta Hawks (34-39) star Dejounte Murray helped guide his team to a crucial 123-122 victory in overtime, he also achieved a feat that hadn’t been completed but by a select few before him in the last two decades.

Murray’s 44 attempts in the game were not only the most in Hawk franchise history, they are the third-most in an NBA game in the last 20 years.

The two with more? The late Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook.

Murray relished in the night, sharing some of the Hawks’ posts highlighting him and his performance. He also came across his joining Bryant and Westbrook in rarified air and had a light-hearted salute to his predecessors.

“Shoutout RUSS AND KOBE,” Murray exclaimed after a slew of laughing face emojis in a post on X on March 28. “I’m Tired Dawg!!!!”

Murray added seven assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and one block.

After stunning the Celtics in a 30-point comeback and snapping their winning streak at nine games, the Hawks evened up the regular season series at 2-2. They have now won four straight contests.

Hawks star Trae Young – who remains without a date to return from finger surgery but was in attendance – also reacted to his teammate’s showing.

“YESSSSSSIR 5,” Young exclaimed in his post, tagging Murray. “WeMove!”

Murray entered the contest questionable with back soreness that also threatened to keep him out of the Hawks’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers the night before. He ended up playing just under 47 minutes in this game.

Asked what motivates him to push through ailments such as that – he also got banged up during the game – Murray pointed to his fellow Hawks.

“We're not tanking, we're not trying to lose. We're trying to win basketball games and figure out how high we can get [in the standings],” Murray told reporters postgame. “So back soreness, it doesn't matter. I owe these guys. So if I can go play and compete at a high level, which I felt like I was able to, there's no excuses. And I love the game too much, but also for my teammates.”

The Hawks will have a day off before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on March 30.

Dejounte Murray focused on Hawks' teammates, next opponent

As for his performance in this one, Murray was pressed to talk about himself. It’s something he is often wont to do, and he only did it after tipping his cap to teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic, who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

The two combined for 15 points in the fourth quarter. Bogdanovic hit his only two three-pointers of the night in the period. The first gave the Hawks a one-point lead at 109-108 with 2:28 to go.

His second make tied the game at 112-all with :27 seconds to go.

After Jayson Tatum missed a three, the game went into overtime. Murray again took over, scoring 11 points to the Celtics’ 10 points to seal the victory.

“I don't like stats and I don't like taking that many shots. I'm tired,” Murray said. “But at the end of the day, that's what I had to do. And we got a great win. A lot of things to learn from, and I think that's all that matters.

Murray capped his answer with a message on how the Hawks should approach this win.

“Don't celebrate too much because we ain't really do nothing,” Murray said. “We got a great team win. And we got to be ready for the Bucks Saturday.”