Southeast Notes: Hawks, Dejounte Murray, Hornets, Heat

Hawks

Coach Quin Snyder suggested that guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are coming together like perhaps never before, just in time for the postseason.

“I thought they played off each other and there was a connectivity there that was important to the team,” Snyder told reporters after a win over the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Murray added that every game from here on out is basically like a playoff game, as the Hawks fight for Eastern Conference playoff positioning.

“Just knowing we’re in a must-win situation, trying just to control the Atlanta Hawks,” Murray said. “We came out ready to play for 48 minutes and got a great win.”

• Snyder, of course, was a favorite of Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell when the two were together with the Jazz. “The way he’s playing now, it’s not surprising to me in the slightest,” Snyder said. “… I think the world of him, obviously.”

Hornets

• The Hornets are playing Western Conference playoff spoiler, having won two over the Mavericks and another against the Thunder in their past three games. Neither of those teams can afford to lose much right now, and the short-handed Hornets have little reason to win.
• Forward P.J. Washington scored a career-high 43 vs. the Thunder. “Credit to my teammates getting me in the right spots,” he told reporters. “I was just trying to be aggressive with the shots that I did take.”

Heat

It’s been a tough go for the Heat lately, as their hopes of climbing to the fifth seed in the East may be all but gone. 

“Every loss right now is tough,” guard Victor Oladipo said after Tuesday’s loss to the Raptors. “Obviously it’s a tight situation in the race in the East. Every loss is tough, but it’s about figuring it out so we’ve just got to figure it out.”

Miami plays a biggie against the Knicks in New York on Wednesday. The Knicks are the current owners of the East’s No. 5 spot.

“We all feel a certain way about this but we’re going to regroup,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve got 24 hours, we get to play in Madison Square Garden. That’s the only thing we’re thinking about right now.”