Atlanta Hawks point guard Dejounte Murray will have to watch from the sidelines during Tuesday night’s game after getting angry with a referee.
The incident took place during Sunday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics. During the end of Game 4 of the Hawks’ first-round series, Murray is seen on video walking toward referee Gediminas Petraitis. He bumped the ref purposefully before turning around and shouting at someone else. Teammates and staff escorted him away.
During Celtics’ 129-121 win, Murray landed 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Still, Murray appeared upset about the loss and may have taken things out on the official. Coincidentally, during that same game, another player with the opposing team also made contact with a referee. Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum pushed an official. However, the NBA has ruled that he will not face the same punishment as Murray.
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Hawks head coach Quin Snyder says he believes Murray was frustrated about the game but did not “handle it the way that he needs to.”
“Dejounte recognizes his part in the situation. That’s just not something you can do,” Snyder stated before adding that he’d spoken to the 26-year-old about the suspension.
Snyder also added that he was still determining who’d start in Murray’s place. Typically another guard would start, but the coach said he’d meet with the staff to discuss how Tuesday’s game would play out. He acknowledged that Murray had been a vital component of the team over the past year. With him being out during Game 5, Snyder confirmed, “Everybody’s got to do their part.”
Murray has not publicly commented on his suspension.
