NBA Investigating Hawks’ Dejounte Murray for Making Contact With Official

• The NBA is reportedly investigating Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray for bumping into the referee during Game 4 against the Boston Celtics
• The guard could be suspended if the league determines he broke the rule
• the Hawks lost Game 4 and are 3-1 down to the Celtics and could be without Murray

The NBA is reportedly investigating Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray for bumping into a referee after their 129-121 Game 4 loss to the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks are facing elimination from the playoffs in the first round after going 3-1 down. If he is suspended by the NBA, it will be a big blow as they try to starve off elimination in Game 5.

According to ESPN, the incident occurred in the final seconds of Game 4. As the 26-year-old walked off the court, he made contact with referee Gediminas Petraitis. It is unclear whether the contact was intentional or not.

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Murray finished the game with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes and was not available for the postgame interview.

How will the NBA respond?

The NBA's interpretation of the incident will be key in making a decision on how to discipline the guard. The NBA rulebook says, "any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game," per CBS Sports.

In October last year, Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams was suspended for one game for making contact with an official against the Chicago Bulls.

What it means for Hawks

The Hawks are in a 3-1 hole against the Celtics and will need to win two games in a row to have a chance of progressing to the second round.

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They will have to do that without Murray, who could be suspended for Game 5. Murray is having a good postseason, averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 steals through four games in this series.

Can the Hawks do the impossible?

Young ejected for throwing ball at referee

Sports Brief earlier reported on Hawks star Trae Young getting ejected for throwing the ball at the referee against the Indiana Pacers in March.

Young got his marching orders after throwing the basketball at an official. The Hawks star was livid after he was called for an offensive foul while attempting a 3-point shot from the logo.

Frustration boiled over for Young after the Hawks called timeout, slamming the ball once before whipping it hard toward the referee.