Atlanta Hawks Guard Dejounte Murray Named Eastern Conference Player Of The Week
To no surprise, Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Murray led the Hawks to two huge wins over the Boston Celtics and a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In the second game against the Celtics, Murray scored 44 points on 44 shots and put the Hawks on his back during the overtime period.
Here is the official word from the Hawks:
"Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played March 25 through March 31, the NBA announced today. This is the first Player of the Week honor of Murray’s career.
Murray led the Hawks to a 3-1 record this past week, which included two wins over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics. The Washington product averaged 28.3 points, 10.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals, becoming the only player in the league this past week to tally at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds."
Murray is going to lead the Hawks into Chicago tonight for a huge matchup with the Bulls.
Neither end of the floor has been impressive for the Hawks in their two games vs the Bulls this year, but the Hawks rely on their offense to win them games. Dejounte Murray had the Hawks offense humming but they hit a wall in the first half against Milwaukee and the Hawks could not recover. Murray has had to put the team on his back with Trae Young out and he is playing a lot of minutes. In the biggest game of the year for the Hawks, Murray is going to need to have a good night.
Bogdan Bogdanovic might have had his best game of the season on Saturday vs Milwaukee. He scored 38 points on 12-23 shooting and also had 10 rebounds. Bogdanovic was getting it done from three and also getting to the basket and was the best player on the floor for Atlanta on Saturday. Bogdanovic and Murray can be a good scoring duo and Atlanta's offense needs them to be.
De'Andre Hunter had two great games vs Boston this week but was not able to shoot the ball well from the floor, going 5-13 from the floor and scoring 13 points. Hunter may also be guarding DeMar DeRozan tonight along with Johnson.
With Johnson back, I believe he will start in place of Vit Krejci. Johnson looked really good in his return from his ankle injury a couple of weeks ago and Atlanta does not have anyone that can do the things Johnson can on both ends of the floor. Krejci has been solid as a starter, but he will be a nice player to bring off the bench. Johnson will likely help guard DeRozan tonight as well.
Clint Capela and Bruno Fernando will split the center minutes tonight and they will both be playing crucial roles. Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond have had two big games vs the Hawks this year and Capela and Fernando will need to limit them both. Fernando brings a lot of energy to the floor every night for Atlanta and helped spark a run on Saturday vs Milwaukee.
The bench rotation will likely consist of Fernando, Garrison Matthews, Bufkin (if he plays), and Vit Krejci.
Viewing and Betting information
Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight, as they are currently 2.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 222.5.
