Dejounte Murray Has Been Suspended For ‘Making Inappropriate Contact With And Verbally Abusing A Game Official’

The Atlanta Hawks will face a win-or-go home scenario in Game 5 without the services of star guard Dejounte Murray.

The NBA announced a one-game suspension for Murray after he confronted official Gediminas Petraitis following Game 4, bumping into him as he gave him some choice words in his ear.

Murray continued to yell back at Petraitis as his teammates steered him towards the tunnel, and it was reported shortly after that the league would be investigating the matter. They ultimately decided Murray’s actions crossed the line by making contact with an official, which they have always frowned upon, and suspended him for a game for “making inappropriate contact with and verbally abusing a game official.”

Murray has been the Hawks’ most consistent offensive performer of the series so far, scoring at least 23 points in every game against the Celtics. Without Murray, Atlanta faces an uphill battle as Boston will focus even more of their energy on pressuring Trae Young, who now will have an even greater creation burden in Game 5. Young has had back-to-back big nights to help Atlanta pick up a split at home and force the series back to Boston, but without Murray, he won’t have much in the way of on-ball help when the Celtics send extra attention his way to get the ball out of his hands.