The Hawks and Pelicans squared off in Atlanta for the first time since Dejounte Murray was traded to New Orleans in exchange for three players and some first-round picks, the most notable player being Dyson Daniels.
The two clubs entered the contest on opposite trajectories, with the Hawks winners of three straight and the Pels losers of eight in a row. State Farm Arena played a tribute to Murray before tip-off, and it seemingly propelled the Pelicans out of the gate as New Orleans jumped out to a 28-26 lead after the first quarter.
The entire first half was hard to watch for the Hawks, who shot 3-for-19 (16%) from deep but still somehow found themselves down just one point at halftime, with Daniels leading the team in scoring with 11 points. To end the third quarter, Trae Young surged, giving the Hawks their biggest lead of the night, one they never relinquished in the final quarter.
The Hawks ended up with a double-digit win over the Pelicans, moving to .500 (11-11) on the season. Young’s passing was once again the engine of the team’s offense, finishing with 15 assists. De’Andre Hunter continued his stellar play off the bench, scoring 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Jalen Johnson added 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but the star of the night was Dyson Daniels, who contributed 19 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two assists.
Meanwhile, Dejounte Murray went just 2-for-15 from the field. The Pels point guard was averaging 14.8 points entering the contest, and the Daniels-led effort held him to a season-low seven points, even if he did record nine assists and five steals.
While the Pelicans try to get healthy and see what the addition of Dejounte Murray can be for their club, the Hawks are building a strong foundation around Dyson Daniels, along with Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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