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National Basketball Association
Charlotte 116, Atlanta 110
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials: #7 Lauren Holtkamp, #51 Aaron Smith, #14 Ed Malloy
Attendance: 16129

P.J. Washington scored 25 points and first-round draft pick Brandon Miller made a go-ahead 3-pointer as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks 116-110 in Wednesday night's season opener for both teams.

Washington made 12 of 18 shots from the field and had support from Terry Rozier's 24 points, LaMelo Ball's 15 points and 10 assists and Mark Williams' 13 points and 15 rebounds. Miller had 13 points and Gordon Hayward added 10.

Trae Young provided 23 points despite horrific shooting from the floor and reserve Jalen Johnson posted 21 points for the Hawks. Atlanta, which shot 5-for-29 on 3-pointers, received 15 points apiece from Saddiq Bey and Clint Capela, who grabbed 13 rebounds.

With Charlotte holding a 113-110 lead, Rozier made the second of two free-throw attempts and later made two more free throws to help the Hornets hang on.

Miller's 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining made it 101-99 and the Hornets led the rest of the way.

Ball, who shot 0-for-8 from the field in the first half, scored nine points in the third quarter as the Hornets built a 78-73 lead going to the fourth. Atlanta was in the lead less than 3 1/2 minutes later, setting up a tight back-and-forth stretch.

During the first half, Young became the eighth Hawk in franchise history to score 9,000 career points. Yet he had shooting woes for most of the game, going 4-for-19 from the field (1-for-9 on 3s) while relying on making 14 of 15 free throws.

The Hawks led 52-51 at halftime despite shooting 39.6 percent from the field that included 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Johnson had 13 points off the bench by the break, outscoring all of the Hornets reserves combined.

Charlotte's 12 first-half turnovers helped keep things even, though Rozier posted 11 points during a 2 1/2-minute span late in the half. Atlanta led 49-40 with less than four minutes left in the half and by an 11-point margin earlier in the second quarter.

The Southeast Division rivals won't meet again until mid-February.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   Charlotte
Trae Young 23 Scoring P.J. Washington 25
Trae Young 9 Assists LaMelo Ball 10
Clint Capela 13 Rebounds Mark Williams 15
Trae Young 14 Free Throws Made Terry Rozier 8
Saddiq Bey 5 Steals Mark Williams 3
Jalen Johnson 1 Blocks Gordon Hayward 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 110 41.9 5-29 27-33 24 42 1 12 12
Charlotte 116 50.0 11-37 19-26 34 51 3 5 19
Upcoming Games
  • Charlotte will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Hornets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against New York. The Hawks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.