Dejounte Murray scored a game-high 41 points to help lead the visiting Atlanta Hawks to a 99-92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 points for the Hawks, who won their third straight game. Clint Capela collected 15 points and 11 rebounds, while De’Andre Hunter scored 12.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 21 points, followed by Vince Williams Jr. and Jake LaRavia, who each finished with 14 points. Santi Aldama and Lamar Stevens each scored 13 for the Grizzlies, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped.
With the score tied at halftime, Atlanta opened the second half on an 11-2 run, capped by Bogdanovic’s jumper that gave the Hawks a 57-48 lead at the 9:02 mark.
After a Memphis timeout, the Grizzlies tied the score thanks to a 9-0 run.
The trend continued as Atlanta answered with a 12-0 run, eight points coming from Murray, as the Hawks took a 69-57 lead with 4:42 to go in the third.
Trey Jemison’s dunk with 2.4 seconds left trimmed Memphis’ deficit to 80-72 heading into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Aldama’s dunk cut the Hawks’ lead to 90-88 with 4:14 left, before Murray’s floater pushed the lead back to four.
With Atlanta’s advantage down to two again, Bogdanovic’s 3-pointer gave the Hawks a 95-90 lead with 3:18 remaining.
LaRavia’s floater trimmed Memphis’ deficit to three, but the Grizzlies didn’t score again as Murray’s floater and Capela’s free throws cemented the win down the stretch.
In the first quarter, Memphis jumped out to a 31-18 lead before Trent Forrest’s mid-range jumper with 23.5 seconds left trimmed Atlanta’s deficit to 11 heading into the second quarter.
Jackson’s floater gave the Grizzlies a 44-37 lead with 2:41 remaining in the first half, but a 9-2 Atlanta run helped knot the halftime score at 46.
Murray led the Hawks with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor in the first half, while Jackson paced Memphis with 17 points in the first half.
Atlanta’s win evened the season series. Memphis won in Atlanta 125-119 on Dec. 23.
–Field Level Media