NBA: Dejounte Murray scores 28 as Hawks hold on to beat Heat
Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks draws a foul from Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on January 16, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Dejounte Murray and Trae Young each scored 20-plus points for the second-straight game and the Atlanta Hawks held on to beat the visiting Miami Heat 121-113 on Monday.
It was the third-straight win for Atlanta, who never trailed, and broke Miami’s three-game winning streak. Atlanta improved to 21-11 overall on MLK Day, including a 19-9 clip at home.
Murray scored 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting and had seven assists. Young scored 24 points, going 9-for-11 from the free-throw line, with eight assists and four steals. De’Andre Hunter added 15 and Clint Capela returned from a thigh injury to get 12 points and six rebounds.
DEJOUNT3 PLUS ONE pic.twitter.com/FWgmqE2vhy
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 16, 2023
Miami was led by Jimmy Butler with 34 points and Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tyler Herro added 15 points and Max Strus scored 13.
Atlanta led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Miami got as close as four two possessions in the final two minutes, both time on baskets by Herro. An alley-oop slam by Capela and a pair of free throws by Young kept the lead at four points. Two more free throws by Young after a Miami turnover with 23.9 seconds sealed the outcome.
The teams have split two games this season. The final two meetings will be March 4 and 6 in Miami.
The Hawks took control of the game early, shooting 63.2 percent from the field to take a 38-26 first-quarter lead. Atlanta increased the lead to 26 points in the second quarter and settled for a 70-50 advantage at halftime.
Miami came to life in the third quarter and cut Atlanta’s lead to seven points on Butler’s 3-pointer at 3:37 and the Hawks led 91-80 going into the final quarter.
Atlanta plays again Wednesday at Dallas. Miami plays the second leg of its three-game road trip on Wednesday in New Orleans.
