MEMPHIS, Tenn. — — Dejounte Murray tied his career high with 41 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-92 Friday night, their third straight victory.
Murray, who also had seven rebounds and six assists, shot 17 of 25 from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 16 points and Clint Capela had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
“He was running the game throughout,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said of Murray, who had 41 earlier this season against Minnesota. “…Just a cerebral game as well as a big game statistically. His buckets were big buckets.
Murray said he didn’t know he was nearing his career high. His goal was to get his teammates involved while filling some of the void caused by the team’s missing key pieces.
“I just hoop,” Murray said. “I’ve never been a guy that plays for stats. That’s just who I am. I love to play. I love to compete.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 21 points, while Jake LaRavia and Vince Williams Jr. finished with 14 points each. Williams added six assists. Santi Aldama and Lamar Stevens had 13 points each for Memphis.
The Hawks held a 95-92 lead when Murray’s 10-foot jumper with 1:54 left, tying a career-high in points, gave the Hawks a 97-92 lead. Memphis couldn’t get any closer.
“He shot the ball extremely well,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of Murray. “Tip your cap. He played great. We were probably a little late on some of our adjustments.”
The shooting touch that gave Memphis a double-digit lead and a 31-20 advantage after one quarter abandoned the Grizzlies in the second half. A strong Atlanta effort led by Murray’s 21 first-half points left the teams tied at 46 at halftime.
Jackson led Memphis with 17 points in the first half.
Both teams suffered from injuries to key players. Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson, who sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s win over Cleveland, is listed as day-to-day. Trae Young, the Hawks’ leading scorer at 26.4 points per game, remains out with a torn ligament in his left little finger.
“You go out with whoever’s healthy, and the game plan doesn’t change as far as what we’re trying to do together defensively,” Murray said when asked if he felt the need to fill the void of missing players.
Some of that defensive focus has led the Hawks — who have won five of their last seven — to hold their opponents to an average of 96.4 points in those five victories.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies continue to face a makeshift roster, consisting of Jackson, a few rotation players, 10-day signings and two-way players. Earlier Friday, Memphis announced the signing of forward Wenyen Gabriel from the G League Wisconsin Herd to a 10-day contract. Gabriel played nearly 13 minutes and finished with two points and four rebounds.
Memphis was competitive, but unable to close out.
“The season we’ve had with so much adversity, it’s always something new,” Stevens said, adding that there’s little cohesion in lineups or even who may be available on any given night. “I think the fact that every night we came out and fought and competed says a lot about the character of this team.”
FOLLOWING
Hawks: Host New Orleans on Sunday night.
Grizzlies: Travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sunday night.
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