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Hawks’ suspended Dejounte Murray claims referee he bumped was ‘brushing me off’ before incident, as he reveals issues with Gediminas Petraitis stem from San Antonio spell
Dejounte Murray has claimed the official he bumped after the Hawks’ Game 4 loss to the Celtics was ‘brushing me off’ and ‘ignoring’ him during the game.
Murray was suspended by the NBA for Game 5 – a potential series clincher with Boston up 3-1 – for ‘making inappropriate contact with and verbally abusing a game official’ after the 129-121 defeat.
But the Atlanta guard suggested official Gediminas Petraitis played a role in the incident as well, and said tension with the ref dates back to his time with the San Antonio Spurs from 2016-22.
‘There was lot that led up to it. A lot,’ Murray said.
‘A lot of ignoring. A lot of brushing me off, brushing my teammates off. Just asking questions of how we can be better.
Dejounte Murray was seen bumping referee Gediminas Petraitis after the Hawks’ Game 4 loss
Murray has performed extremely well in the series, averaging 25.3 points per contest
‘And even just with that individual, it goes back to San Antonio, where I don’t know why that person treated me the way he treated me over the years.’
Murray also expressed that, ‘we all should be held accountable – players, coaches, even the referees. It shouldn´t be one-sided. It should be all be fair,’ before sharing his belief that he shouldn’t have been suspended.
Nonetheless, the Atlanta guard accepted blame for his decision to bump into Petraitis and ultimately disqualify himself from a must-win Game 5.
‘At the end of the day I’m a grown man and I hold my own and I take full responsibility for not being able to play for my teammates, the fans and just the organization as a whole,’ Murray said.
The NBA announced the decision to suspend Murray – who has averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the series – on Monday.
After the horn sounded following the end of Game 4, Murray bumped Petraitis with his chest while walking off the court, and turned to yell something before he was pulled away and directed toward the locker room.
Petraitis has worked as an NBA official for seven seasons, and made his playoff debut in 2019.
Murray’s season is not over after the Hawks stunned Boston to take Game 5 Tuesday night.
Petraitis has been an NBA official for seven seasons and made his playoff debut in 2019
