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The Atlanta Hawks narrowly defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in Atlanta, after having sizable leads for most of the game, only to let it slip in the final minutes of the game. While the end wasn't pretty, the Hawks had a balanced attack, and had another good performance as they did against the Knicks. They hope to finish out the week strong with another win in Charlotte.
The Hawks are expected to have both Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha active, with Mike Muscala still questionable with a right ankle sprain. It's the first time the Hawks will have Korver and Sefolosha both active since opening night against the Pistons.
In their last game against the Hornets, the Hawks had an 8-point advantage in fast break points, and a 10-point advantage in points in the paint. The Hawks were able to play at a quick and efficient pace, getting points off of the Hornets' turnovers. All Hawks starters also had double-figure scoring, with Kent Bazemore leading the way with 19 points. His shooting was much improved in the game, and is what the Hawks are looking for in him as a replacement for DeMarre Carroll.
The starting lineup will be something to keep an eye on in this one, as the Hawks went with Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder in the last game. We have seen Mike Budenholzer experimenting with starting lineups and rotations, and it would be no surprise to see more of that here early in the season.
One thing the Hawks will need to focus on is rebounding. The Hornets had 3 players with double-doubles in points and rebounding. They were outrebounded 54-45, with Hornet starters Marvin Williams, Nicolas Batum, and Al Jefferson having 12 and 11 rebounds apiece respectively. If they can manage a better performance there, Sunday should not be as close as Friday was.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, November 1, 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: FOX Sports Southeast
Radio: 92.9 The Game FM