Hawks fall to hot-shooting Hornets 144-138

The Atlanta Hawks took on the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Monday evening. Saddiq Bey made his Hawks debut, starting for injured John Collins at forward. Atlanta was unable to pick up the win in his debut, falling 144-138 to a hot shooting Hornets team.

The Hornets did not trail in the first half, racing out to a 36-27 lead before the start of the second quarter. Atlanta’s defense struggled throughout the opening half, allowing 74 points before the break.

A 41-point second quarter kept the Hawks within striking distance, as they trailed by six points after a first half they never led in. Trae Young led Atlanta with 15 points at the break, while Clint Capela had 14 points.

Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 21 points before the half, with LaMelo Ball adding 14 points and seven assists.

Atlanta closed the gap to a close as three points at 99-96 late in the third quarter, but Charlotte went on a big 10-0 run to close the quarter with a 109-96 lead as the Hawks gave up 35+ points for the third straight quarter.

The Atlanta offense was almost perfect in the fourth quarter, but the hole they dug themselves in the final moments of the third proved to be to deep as Charlotte continued to knock down shots in the final frame. The Hawks’ defense was their nemesis in this one, giving up 35+ points in all four quarters in the loss.

The Hornets shot 20-of-37 from three-point-range for the game, putting on an explosive shooting display. The 144 points is the most Atlanta has surrendered in a game all season. Ball led all scorers with 30 points in the win, while Terry Rozier had 29 points of his own. Hayward finished with 26.

Young led the Hawks with 25 points and 14 assists, and he was good down the stretch as Atlanta got back into the game.

Capela finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss, with De’Andre Hunter adding 21 points.

The Hawks fall back to .500 with the loss at 29-29, and fail to make up a game in the standings on whoever loses between the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

Atlanta hosts the Knicks on Wednesday evening in what will be an important conference battle.

Stay tuned.