Shorthanded Hornets Take Down Hawks On the Road
ATLANTA, GA - The Charlotte Hornets defied all odds on Sunday evening by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 130-127 without four key players, including three members of the starting lineup (LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, & Mason Plumlee). Friday morning, the Hornets place those three, plus Jalen McDaniels into the NBA's health and safety protocols and recalled Vernon Carey Jr., Kai Jones, and James Bouknight from the Greensboro Swarm ahead of Sunday's matchup.
To defeat the Hawks, the Hornets needed a strong, collective effort from a number of guys and those very players stepped up. Miles Bridges led the way with 32 points but once again, Kelly Oubre Jr. provided a boost with his deep ball connecting on 6/10 shots from beyond the arc.
Ish Smith who filled into the starting lineup for LaMelo Ball had a very productive night notching 18 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Most importantly, Smith took great care of the basketball only turning it over one time. He didn't force up bad shots and kept the boat more than above float offensively with good ball movement.
Small forward Cody Martin also gave the Hornets some quality minutes in his return with 19 points in 32 minutes. He missed the last few games due to an illness.
The Hornets entered the fourth quarter with a 99-92 lead over Atlanta but the Hawks chipped away at the seven-point deficit and took a 103-101 lead just three and a half minutes in. After Ish Smith tied things up on the next trip up the floor, Kevin Huerter drained a three and was fouled by Kelly Oubre in the act. Trae Young then hit a three and Danilo Gallinari hit a step-back jumper to push the lead out to five.
Thankfully for the Hornets, Miles Bridges found some rhythm scoring 11 of the next 14 points which kept the game within reach and eventually led to the Hornets regaining the lead. Huerter hit a three to bring the Hawks back to within three but P.J. Washington slammed home a dunk on the other end pushing it back to a two-score game. A few moments later, another P.J. Washington dunk pretty much put the final nail in the coffin for Atlanta. John Collins hit a deep two right before the buzzer but at that point, the game had already been decided.
The Hornets will be back in Queen City Monday night, playing host to the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
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