Dejounte Murray will miss Game 5 against the Celtics on Tuesday after the NBA suspended him for bumping an official after Game 4 on Sunday. During Hawks practice, Murray explained what he was thinking, and implied that there was a history with that specific referee, Gediminas Petraitis.
The Atlanta guard also said that he thinks of himself as respectful towards referees, so this one incident is unique in that way.
“The individual goes back to San Antonio where I don’t know why that person treated me the way he treated me over the years,” he said. “You ask 98% of the refs why they greet me before games, they’ll tell you because I’m one of the respectful ones.”
At this morning #Hawks shootaround ahead of Game 5 in Boston against the Celtics, guard Dejounte Murray took responsibility for what occurred at the end of Game 4 and addressed what led up to the incident. pic.twitter.com/k0CfnNQedM
— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) April 25, 2023
Murray then implied that he thinks players are criticized more than coaches or referees, and that led to the frustration of bumping Petraitis after the game.
“We should all be held accountable,” he said. “It’s now just the players out there, it’s the coaches coaching. You got the referees reffing the game, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot that led into that.”
However, Murray did accept his suspension and acknowledged that he had let his team down by not being available for the game.
“I hold my own and take full responsibility for not being able to play for my teammates and the fans and the organization as a whole,” he said.
The Hawks are looking to hold off elimination in Game 5, already down 3–1 in the series. If Boston wins, Murray won’t play again until next season.
