Atlanta Loses 106-102 on the Road in Portland Despite 40 Points From Dejounte Murray

Portland cut the lead to five though and the Hawks only led 52-47 heading into the half. After allowing only 17 points in the first quarter, Atlanta allowed 30 in the second. 

No other Hawks had more than six points at halftime. The Hawks shot 46% from the field and 35% from three in the first half. 

Simons and Ayton combined for 34 of the Blazers 47 first-half points. Portland shot 44% from the field and 25% from three. 30 of their 47 points came in the paint. 

It was not Murray that came out hot in the second half though. That would be Dalano Banton, who scored eight early points in the third quarter, while Murray missed his first three shots. Before you knew it, Portland trailed by only one points. 

Things would only continue to unravel for the Hawks in the third quarter. 

The offense was stumbling and Portland was taking full advantage. The Blazers went on a big 19-4 run to take a 71-62 lead. The time when it Atlanta led by 16 felt like it took place in another game and Atlanta had their backs against the wall for the first time in the game. 

Their three-point shooting would start to find itself though. Garrison Matthews, Krejci, and Hunter all hit some huge threes to keep the Hawks in the game and now allow Portland to pull away. While Murray was not having a strong third quarter, the supporting cast stepped up for the first time all game. 

While Atlanta was still in the game, Ayton and Simons cotinued to dominate for Portland. Ayton had 10 points and six rebounds in the quarter, while Simons had 13 in the quarter, including a buzzer-beater to end the quarter and he was up to 30 for the game. Portland led 82-75 heading into the final quarter. The Hawks hit six threes in the quarter and still lost it 35-23. 

Murray and Hunter both had strong starts to the fourth, but two big three's from Matisse Thybulle kept Portland ahead. It was a back-and-forth start to the quarter, with the Blazers leading 93-88 at the first timeout with 6:38 left in the game. 

After an Ayton bucket put Portland up seven, Murray hit a big three and then Capela split a pair of free throws to cut the lead to three 95-92. 

After a couple of turnovers from the Blazers, Krejci split a pair of free throws and it was 95-93 with nearly three minutes remaining. Atlanta could have tied it had Capela and Krejci hit their other free throws. 

On the other end, the Hawks played solid defense, but Simons hit a deep three that felt like the back breaker and the score was 99-93. 

After Bogdanovic found Capela for a lob, the Hawks went down on the other end trailing by four and forced a missed shot by Ayton, but Portland got the rebound and drew the foul. Ayton hit both and it was 99-93. 

Desperately needing a basket, Capela got the ball under the rim and hit the basket and drew the foul. He squandered a chance to make it a three-point game and missed the free throw. 

Murray cut the lead to 101-99 and Atlanta got a stop with under a minute left. After a Murray miss at the basket, Capela got a big offensive rebound and Atlanta got the ball to Bogdanovic for a three and the lead, but he missed it. Simons drew a foul on the other end and hit both free throws to make it 103-99 with 22.3 seconds left. 

Out of the timeout, Atlanta got the ball to its best player on the floor and Murray hit a huge three to cut it to 103-102 with 17. 6 seconds left. After forcing a timeout, Portland was able to get the ball into Ayton and he hit his first throw to make it a two-point game. 

But he missed the second. 

The ball went up in the air and Portland found a way to come back down with it and the Hawks had to foul again. It was a massive blown opportunity for Atlanta and they had to foul Simons, who hit both free throws to clinch the game. After defying the odds to stay in the game, Atlanta was an offensive rebound away from having a chance to tie or win the game. They came up just short. Portland won the game 106-102. 

Murray finished the game with 40 points, but the Hawks could not get any production from anywhere else on the floor. Atlanta shot 43% from the field and 36% from three in the game. 

Simons scored 36 points for Portland while Ayton had an outstanding game with 33 points and 19 rebounds. The Blazers shot 46% from the field and 33% from three in the game. They outrebounded Atlanta 49-38. 

This is a tough loss for the Hawks and while they were shorthanded, so was Portland and the Hawks made some simple mistakes in their quest to win. 

Atlanta will be back on the floor this Friday vs the Jazz. Tip off is slated for 9:30 in Salt Lake City.