Hornets, PJ Washington set NBA records in season opener

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 23: PJ Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets shows emotion during the game against the Chicago Bulls on October 23, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE
Brock Williams-Smith / National Basketball Association / Getty

The Charlotte Hornets opened their 2019-20 campaign with a thrilling 126-125 comeback win over the Chicago Bulls while also setting a pair of NBA records along the way.

Charlotte connected on 23 attempts from beyond the arc to establish a new league mark in a season opener.

Hornets rookie PJ Washington led the 3-point barrage with seven triples to break the NBA record for threes by a player in their first career game. The 6-foot-7 forward surpassed the previous mark of five set by Jake Layman and Donyell Marshall.

Washington's success from downtown is a bit surprising, considering he made 38 total 3-pointers across a pair of seasons at Kentucky.

His 17 first-half points were also the most by a first-year player in a season opener in the last 20 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Washington finished the game with 27 points to break Emeka Okafor's franchise record for the most points scored by a rookie in their debut.

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