Dejounte Murray Defended Nate McMillan Deciding Against A Timeout Before Atlanta’s Final Possession In A Loss To Brooklyn

The Atlanta Hawks narrowly fell to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, 108-107. It was the 10th win in a row for the scorching hot Nets, but for the Hawks, the game was notable because of a sequence at the very end that led to standout guard Dejounte Murray defending head coach Nate McMillan one day later.

With less than 10 seconds remaining, Kyrie Irving attempted a three that would have effectively ended the game if it went in. Instead, it clanked off the rim, with John Collins flying in to secure the rebound. The ball was put in Murray’s hands, and with the team needing a point to win the game, McMillan decided against calling a timeout and let things play out as they may.

This ended up coming back to bite Atlanta, as Irving was able to slow Murray down just enough that his only option was an off-balanced three that had Irving and Kevin Durant contesting. It clanked off the back of the rim.

As Murray noted, this situation could have been avoided one possession before Irving’s miss if he did not miss the front end of a pair of free throws. It was a tough break for a Hawks team that trailed by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter but rallied to give themselves a chance.