By KL Chouinard
Dejounte Murray would never tell you that he wasn't feeling his best. One certainly wouldn't know it from watching him score a career-high 44 points, including a game-winning shot with 0.1 seconds left, in a 123-122 overtime win over the Boston Celtics.
"Back soreness, it doesn't matter. I owe all these guys," he said as he looked at Bogdan Bogdanovic sitting on the podium next to him. "If I can go play and compete at a high level, which I feel like I was able to, there's no excuses. I love the game too much, but also for my teammates."
In the quieter moments – taking shot attempts in the first few minutes of the game, or falling to the ground prior to a dead ball, or waiting for the referee to hand over the ball prior to the start of a play as action resumed – it was clear that Murray was moving gingerly when he had the small luxury to do so. It was just the beginning of what he had to deal with Thursday night.
Murray had to push through playing on the second half of a back-to-back, on the third game in four nights, which was also the fourth game in six nights. He had to contend with the injury absences of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey, Onyeka Okongwu, and Kobe Bufkin, and the effects of carrying the workload in their extended absence. He had to battle against a well-rested, top-seeded Boston team that had to be at least a little bit more ornery after giving up a 30-point lead to the Hawks Monday. And at the end, he had to deal with playing five more minutes after already playing 41 of the first 48.
It simply did not matter. Dejounte wanted to do the darn thing, and he did it.
Given the circumstances, it wasn't always beautiful basketball, but given those circumstances and the struggle and the dogged persistence in the face of it all, it was actually the most beautiful basketball of all.
"He's just tough," Quin Snyder said after the game. "And he's mentally tough."
For Murray, it was yet another strong game in the month of March. Among his Eastern Conference peers this month, Murray ranks fourth in scoring (27.1 points), second in made threes (4.0 threes), third in assists (9.0), and second in steals (2.3).
Murray scored all 11 points for the Hawks in overtime. At the start of the extra session, the Celtics played a switching defense, and the Hawks set a screen to get Murray a switch for a one-on-one play against 7-foot-2 center Kristaps Porzingis.
"You put the ball in his hands," Snyder said. "Don't overthink it. Let him make a play."
Bogdanovic took it one step further, citing his individual battles after practice with Murray.
"We always feel like he's our best one-on-one guy, and I was just trying to run around because they won't help off of me, and trying to get loose from my guy and get some switches, get (the defenders) confused to make the space for (Dejounte) to go to work. And I mean, he scored, I don't know how many in a row on their switch defense."
The answer is three. Dejounte Murray scored three times in a row at the start of overtime. He had one left in him at the end of the game to win it, and he got the Hawks their fourth win in six nights.
"We got a great team win," Murray said, "and we've got to be ready for the Bucks Saturday."
Saturday will be Murray's final game of the month of March, and, for his efforts playing tremendous basketball while leading the Hawks ever closer to a postseason appearance, he deserves to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Month.