Dejounte Murray Under Investigation After Bumping Ref

NBA officials are looking into what happened when Atlanta Hawks player Dejounte Murray confronted a referee following Atlanta's 129-121 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, per ESPN.

It looked like Murray contacted referee Gediminas Petraitis while leaving the floor after Sunday's game, in which he scored 23 points, grabbed nine boards, and dished out six assists in 40 minutes.

After that, Murray walked off the floor, turned around, and yelled at someone.

The team did not allow Murray to speak on the interview after the game.

The NBA will usually decide on disciplinary action in these cases before the next game of the series.

Game 5 will be played on Tuesday night, with the Hawks returning to Boston to take on the Celtics, which now leads the series at 3-1.

A Celtics victory would send them to the Eastern Conference semifinals to face the Philadelphia 76ers, while an Atlanta Hawks loss would end their season.

Dejounte Murray's Possible Punishment

Whether the contact was accidental cannot be determined from the video, team personnel escorted Murray off the floor, said Bleacher Report.

Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics was suspended for one game earlier this season after he physically contacted a referee.

Meanwhile, Boston has taken a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Hawks will need one of the best scorers in their quest to advance in the playoffs if Murray is suspended for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Brad Rowland of UPROXX Sports said that he believed Murray had a "non-zero chance" of receiving a suspension but that a fine was more likely.

However, John Hollinger of The Athletic has stated that he would be "shocked if the NBA did not suspend Murray.

Whether or not the NBA acts against Murray and the referee in the video depends on whether the collision was "intentional."

Any player or coach found guilty of intentionally physically contacting an official shall be automatically suspended without pay for one game, as stated in the NBA regulations.

Fines or even lengthier suspensions may be imposed "if circumstances so dictate" according to the standard.

However, not all players who contact a referee will necessarily be suspended.

Hamidou Diallo, a player for the Detroit Pistons, was fined $20,000 in February 2022 for contacting a referee rather than receiving a suspension.

Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics Game 4 Pauses Due to Faulty Confetti

There was a brief delay in Sunday's playoff game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics after some confetti fell from the rafters at State Farm Arena, ESPN reported.

At the beginning of Game 4, several tiny, white pieces of paper appeared to fall from the massive television board above the court.

Some of it fell onto the floor, while some went into the stands and onto the benches, but with 1 minute and 19 seconds left, the referees called a timeout.

The game was delayed by two minutes while venue staff picked up the debris from the court. At the beginning of the second quarter, a few pieces of confetti still fell, but not nearly enough to require attention.

When the Hawks won Game 3 on Friday, Atlanta fans celebrated by letting long red streamers fall from the arena's ceiling. On Sunday, Boston would play with a 2-1 series advantage.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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