The Atlanta Hawks handled business Wednesday night, defeating the Sacramento Kings 120-117. It was a hard-fought game that ended with Dejounte Murray skillfully stealing the ball from De’Aaron Fox, securing the victory. Although Murray got the best of Fox, he told reporters he hopes the Sacramento guard receives a validating honor this season.
“I been a fan of his, and I hope he becomes an All-Star this year because I know that feeling of being in your first one, and he’s playing well,” Murray told Sideline Sources. “He’s doing a great thing here in Sacramento and bringing the city together and winning.”
Fox scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 25 to lead all scorers. His 11 fourth-quarter points make it the 11th time he has registered at least 10 points in the fourth period. Fox is only one of six players in the NBA this season to record this stat at least ten times.
This season, Fox is averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 assists, shooting a career-high of 50.4 percent from the field, and the Kings are ranked 5th in the Western Conference. Nevertheless, Sacramento fans believe their star deserves the validating honor of playing in his first All-Star game, as do some opposing players, such as Murray.
Murray on Hawks struggles
The one-time All-Star Murray finished the evening with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. His performance helped the Hawks snap a four-game losing streak. The win came in the middle of their California four-game road trip, and he’s optimistic about the Hawks’ future.
“It’s been a long week,” Murray explained. “Obviously, dropping four games, but at the end of the day, this is the NBA. It’s a long season. You get to go out and redeem yourself, as a unit, as a team. I feel like we showed that last game in Golden State. We fought versus a really good team… So that shows that we’re trying to go in the right direction. Coming here to play a great team that’s playing well this year at home here in Sacramento, and we were able to pull out a win.”
Next, the Hawks travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers and Clippers before returning to Atlanta.
