Dejounte Murray carried the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of their play-in tournament game Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. He didn’t get much help from Trae Young.
Young didn’t hold up his end of the bargain between the backcourt stars trying to escape the United Center with a win and keep their postseason hopes alive.
Dejounte Murray Appeared Upset At Trae Young To Close The 1st Half
Murray couldn’t hide his frustration during one sequence to end the first half of play.
With just seconds remaining in the second quarter, Young whipped a behind-the-back pass to Murray in the left wing. Murray had to lunge in order to catch the pass, which carried him into two Bulls defenders. Murray wasn’t even able to get a shot off as time expired.
Murray appeared to gesture toward Trae in frustration after the play. He also stomped furiously on the ground as he walked toward the Hawks’ locker room. ESPN announcer Ryan Ruocco couldn’t help but notice the interaction on the broadcast.
Trae Young Had A Brutal Start To Hawks-Bulls Play-In Game
The Hawks miraculously trailed by just six points, 73-67, in a first half in which they were largely outplayed by the Bulls. The miracle worker was named Dejounte Murray, who finished with 23 points on 8/14 shooting to go along with three rebounds, four assists, and two threes in the opening two quarters.
Murray spearheaded a 14-0 run to start the second quarter, which chopped into what was once an 18-point lead for the Bulls.
Murray didn’t get much help from Young, especially early. Young tallied 10 points and six assists at the break. But he also shot just 1/5 from the field and committed five turnovers. At one point in the contest, Murray had 21 points while Young had just 1 point, all five of those aforementioned turnovers, and was a -25 on the court — seven points worse than the Bulls’ largest first-half lead.
It’s no wonder Murray was angry.
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