Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combine for 43 points and 24 assists as the Hawks defeat the Rockets in their season opener.
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The 17,000+ spectators present at the State Farm Arena were in for a treat yesterday night. Trae Young and his Atlanta Hawks hosted Kevin Porter Jr.’s Houston Rockets in their first clash of the 2022-2023 season.
An action-packed thriller that witnessed 5 ties and 5 lead changes ended with Nate McMillan’s boys grabbing a 117-107 win over the Texas-based franchise.
It was the All-Star duo of Young and Dejounte Murray who put on quite a sensational performance for ATL. Ice Trae managed to record 23 points and 13 assists in almost 38 minutes. On the other hand, the two-way star had a solid Hawks debut, putting up a 20-point & 11-assist double-double along with 5 steals.
Trae and Dejounte combined tonight:
43 PTS
24 AST
3 TOVTop __ backcourt in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/iVF1xhXZPG
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 20, 2022
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Trae Young and Dejounte Murray create history with season opener performance
The Hawks’ backcourt had an awful shooting night. While Trae shot a horrific 7-22 from the field and merely 11.9% from beyond the arc, Deebo knocked down only 20% from the three-point field goal. However, despite their shooting struggles, the backcourt managed to etch their name in the history books.
A feat that was never achieved before, the two guards became the first-ever pair of teammates to record 20+ points and 10+ assists in the opening game of the new campaign.
Dejounte Murray and Trae Young are the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each record 20+ PTS and 10+ AST in their team’s opening game of the season. pic.twitter.com/jLRn28LE1r
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 20, 2022
After putting up an outstanding display, the 26-year-old Murray issued a stern warning to the league.
“We’re gonna get better.”
“It’s about the Atlanta Hawks, not me and Trae.
But we’re going to set the tone.” pic.twitter.com/SnlDXZVTop
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) October 20, 2022
Atlanta Hawks could keep a flawless record for a while
It was only the first regular season game for Dejounte as a Hawk, and it is pretty safe to say that he superseded all expectations. It is only a matter of time before the 6-foot-4 guard gets more accustomed to his new teammates. And every basketball enthusiast is eagerly waiting to see just how deadly the squad could be then.
Trae and co. will next host the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets before hitting the road for a 5-game trip. Realistically speaking, the franchise could win their next 4 games – the Magic, the Hornets, and two contests against the Pistons.
If this were to happen, a 5-0 record would certainly be a morale booster for the Georgia-based franchise as they would most probably sit at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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