Tiktekno: clip summarizing today's events in sport, 28.3/Sport1
Atlanta does reach the final stretch of the regular season on its stomach, but luckily it has someone who is willing to take it all on himself. Two of the Hawks' main point providers, Trae Young and Jaylen Johnson, have been out for the last 17 games due to injuries, but DeJounte Murray is happy with the challenge, carrying the team on his shoulders.
Tonight (between Thursday and Friday) he did it with a huge victory basket at the buzzer, which gave Atlanta a fourth consecutive victory, 122:123 over Boston, which the Hawks have already beaten twice this week, sending a message to all the teams in the East. Atlanta is ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference and is not only holding on to injuries, but also closing in on ninth-place Chicago with a one-game lead.
This is happening, as mentioned, mainly thanks to Marie, who has been surpassing himself in recent times and tonight provided a "Kobe Bryant" display - with all that implies. 44 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and a huge winning basket at the buzzer, after an evening in which he took no less than 44 shots (!). By comparison, only Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook have taken more shots in a single game in the past 20 years. In the NBA as it currently stands, players have taken 44 or more shots in one game only 11 times, with Bryant signing 6 of them.
"These are the games we want to be a part of. I feel like I had a terrible night. I don't like to take all those shots, but I know Kobe would be proud of me for a night like that," said Murray at the end. "In the end, we managed to stay in business against the best team in the East, and we beat them with a basket in the last second. And to tell the truth, I feel like I'm built exactly for moments like this."
One is "built for it", the other a little less so - at least this season. Marie with Tatum/GettyImages, Kevin C. Cox
The Celtics, for their part, allow themselves to slow down in the last part of the season against the background of their huge advantage in first place in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, it is possible that this is already some kind of worrying trend: Boston is only 8:4 in close games this season, and Jayson Tatum, who missed a crucial shot tonight, is 0-for-4 in shots at the buzzer that could have turned into winning baskets.
"It's a reminder that nothing is going to come easy to us, that nothing is taken for granted," says Tatum, knowing he needs to improve his efficiency in the final minutes. "I missed some crucial shots this season, and I say to myself, 'Damn, I have to score one,' but that's part of the point. Sometimes you score and sometimes you miss, but I always enjoy being in situations like this."
"I think we need to execute our moves better in crucial moments," admits Jaylen Brown. "Sometimes we compromise on less good shots instead of going to the ring. But I believe that at the right time we will do it properly, we just have to make sure that our spacing is good and that the ball reaches the right people."
On the other hand, Boston coach Joe Mazzola provided a somewhat surprising response, admitting that he used the last minutes of the game "to make all kinds of attempts" and practice tactical elements for the playoffs. In other words, you can define it as tanking from the other side - of a team that has already achieved enough wins to afford to "throw" games in the regular season. So, for example, it turned out that during the last part of the game, Kristaps Porzingis guarded Dejonta Murray, a mis-match that the Atlanta star took advantage of to score the winning basket.
"It was another rehearsal for us. We have the privilege of trying all kinds of things in preparation for the playoffs, and I wanted us to check how it works when we make automatic substitutions in the last moves," Mazzola said. "It's something we won't get used to too much during the season, certainly not when Porzingis is on the court. I wanted us to work on it a little in real time."
More on the same topic:
Dejonta Marie
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics