Dejounte Murray scores 30 points, Hawks hand Trail Blazers 8th straight loss with 120-106 victory
Wed, Mar 27, 2024
NBA News (AP)
ATLANTA (AP) - Dejounte Murray had 30 points and seven assists and the Atlanta Hawks won their third in a row and handed Portland its eighth straight loss, beating the Trail Blazers 120-106 on Wednesday night.
Garrison Mathews hit five 3-points and scored a season-high 21 points to help the Hawks remain 10th in the Eastern Conference and avenge a 106-102 loss in Portland on March 13. Matthews led the Atlanta backups to 41 points.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 points and five assists, and Clint Capela had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Dalano Banton led Portland with a career-high 31 points off the bench. Toumani Camara had 17 points, and Scoot Henderson added 15 points and six assists.
For the third straight game, the Trail Blazers started five rookies due to injuries throughout the roster, including Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, Malcom Brogdon and Angernee Simons.
The Blazers shot 45 percent from three (14-for-31), but committed 18 turnovers.
The Hawks were without multiple starters as well, with star Trae Young recovering from a finger injury and fellow starters Jalen Johnson and Saddiq Bey also out.
The Hawks had 10 first-half steals and hit seven of 11 three-pointes in the second quarter to take a 65-58 lead at the break.
An 11-0 burst from the Hawks early in the third quarter pushed the lead to 76-60. Murray and Bogdanovic combined for nine points during the run. The Hawks never let the lead get below nine points after that.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Miami on Friday night.
Hawks: Host Boston on Thursday night. On Monday night in Atlanta, the Hawks beat the NBA-leading Celtics 120-118.
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