The Atlanta Hawks are coming off an impressive win over the lowly Houston Rockets as Trae Young and Dejounte Murray both put up 20+ points and 10+ assists. It was an all-around remarkable win for the new backcourt duo, and they’re right back at it Friday night in State Farm Arena to take on the Orlando Magic.
Usually, this type of matchup wouldn’t be that big of a draw. The Magic are a terrible team, despite being young and exciting. However, a major storyline in this one is the rekindling of the Dejounte Murray, Paolo Banchero beef. If you don’t remember, Murray and Banchero suited up at an NBA Pro-Am and had quite an entertaining exchange.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1556430347243593729?s=20&t=W9RpZCD8aI31mlbNxZFbCQ
This was just the first of many exchanges between the two during the game. Later on, Murray had some choice words for Banchero, calling him “soft.”
https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1556477674700394499?s=20&t=6fXvIi5zBs-Y5SIzWt0l8g
But the beef didn’t just stay on the court. Following the exhibition game, the two players took to social media to hash out their differences.
Paolo Banchero posted this on his IG story in response to Dejounte Murray's play
(via @Pp_doesit) pic.twitter.com/ZdxZg7pIZy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 8, 2022
Dejounte Murray has now responded to Paolo Banchero… oh boy. pic.twitter.com/wINyBWVYXM
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 8, 2022
This exchange is in the rearview as the two made amends, but I’m not letting it go. I loved this from Murray, and I want to bring it back up for tonight’s game. The biggest difference between last year’s Hawks team and the one that made the Eastern Conference was attitude. The Hawks never seemingly brought the energy last season and lacked the toughness necessary to make another deep playoff run. Dejounte Murray is a breath of fresh air in that area, and I hope the Banchero and Murray provide fireworks tonight.
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John McCoy/Icon Sportswire
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