LOS ANGELES – Dejounte Murray drilled the go-ahead jumper in the final second of overtime as the Atlanta Hawks “showed up” in a 123-122 National Basketball Association (NBA) victory over the Boston Celtics on March 28.

Said the guard after beating the Celtics for the second time in four days: “I’m just built for those moments. I’m a confident guy.”

He scored all 11 of the Hawks’ points in overtime, posting a career-high of 44 to help Atlanta (34-39) maintain their push for a play-in berth from the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics, with a league-best record of 57-16, are already assured of top seeding in the East, but they have dropped two games this week in Atlanta, where the Hawks erased a 30-point deficit to triumph on March 25.

The rematch was a tense back-and-forth battle that featured 40 lead changes – neither team leading by more than eight points.

Boston star Jaylen Brown’s pull-up jumper put the Celtics up 122-121 with six seconds left in overtime but Murray responded with his basket over Jrue Holiday.

“That’s the best team in the league – we competed,” Murray said of a Hawks team coming off a 120-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 27. “We didn’t use being tired, a back-to-back, as an excuse.

“We came out and competed, and these are games I want to be a part of.”

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and De’Andre Hunter added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who won their fourth straight game.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 31 points and 13 rebounds, but missed a game-winning three-pointer in the final second of regulation.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points and Brown finished with 18.

But the hustling Hawks out-rebounded the Celtics 53-43 and had 28 second-chance points to Boston’s 11.

“We’re fighting for a play-in spot,” Murray said of the Hawks team currently holding down 10th place – and the final play-in spot. “We all showed up.”

In New Orleans, Zion Williamson scored 28 points and C.J. McCollum added 25 to lead the Pelicans to a 107-100 victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jonas Valanciunas notched his 32nd double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, but the Bucks dropped their second straight game, unable to bounce back after a stunning overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 26.

Said Bucks guard Damian Lillard: “I just thought they played more physical. They were the more aggressive team. Usually the more aggressive team get rewarded by the whistle. The game favours that team more.”

The Pelicans led by as many as 18 in the first half, but the Bucks had cut the deficit to five with 3min 27sec left to play.

New Orleans kept attacking and closed it out from the foul line, Williamson making five free throws in the waning minutes.

“Z’s been amazing, night-in, night-out,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “He’s putting the team on his shoulders.”

The Pelicans pulled off the victory despite a poor shooting night. They made just 36 of their 91 attempts from the floor and just eight of 32 from three-point range.

“That was a gutsy win on our home floor,” Green said. “It was a good defensive performance by us. We played with force from start to finish.

“Even when we didn’t hit shots, we still continued to make winning plays.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor said on March 28 that the franchise were no longer for sale, scuttling a purchase option held by retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez and businessman Marc Lore.

Taylor agreed a deal in 2021 in which Lore and Rodriguez obtained 40 per cent of the Timberwolves and Women’s NBA Minnesota Lynx, with an option to double their stake and take control of the teams.

In a statement, Taylor said that once Lore and Rodriguez signalled that they wanted to exercise their option, they had 90 days to close the deal. Taylor said their deadline elapsed on March 27. AFP