ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reports that Dejounte Murray collided with an official at the conclusion of the Atlanta Hawks’ playoff loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, prompting an NBA investigation.
As the buzzer sounded, Murray gazed directly at Petraitis and then collided with the referee’s right shoulder with his chest. Petraitis didn’t appear to notice Murray approaching, but he turned and stared at him as the Hawks guard strolled away with his back to the referee toward the tunnel.
Murray approaches referee Gediminas Petraitis from across the court as Boston’s 129-121 win winds down.
Murray then turned around and pointed toward the spectators on the opposite side of the court before being restrained and directed back to the tunnel by two members of the Hawks staff. As Murray walked toward the tunnel, the video cut out.
It is unclear what caused the incident. The bump was not captured on the TNT broadcast of the contest. Murray did not comment immediately following the contest. Disciplinary action is probable if the NBA determines that Murray’s contact was intentional.
With Sunday’s victory, Boston has a 3-1 series lead. The series will return to Boston for Game 5 (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT), where Atlanta will be eliminated with a loss. Murray is the second-leading scorer for Atlanta. He averaged 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in his first season with the Hawks after being traded from the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason.
In Sunday’s defeat, he tallied 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. He received four whistles for infractions.