Predicting the Final Score for Charlotte Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Charlotte Hornets' nine-game winning streak may have ended on Monday in chaotic fashion, but the stakes still haven't changed. Charlotte closes out the pre-All-Star break slate on Wednesday evening against Atlanta in a matchup with direct play-in implications — even if a fair bit of uncertainty hangs over both rotations. So how will tonight's game inside Spectrum Center unfold?

Below, see the Charlotte Hornets On SI staff's predictions for the Hornets vs. Hawks matchup.

Zach Roberts: Hawks 119, Hornets 113

As much as it would sting to lose this one, I just don't see a viable path to victory without Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges (both likely to be suspended), and Coby White. The Hornets will have to get big minutes from Tidjane Salaun, PJ Hall, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Tre Mann, which is really far from ideal. They barely beat the Hawks last time with their full complement of players (minus White), and now they're as depleted as they've been in a while.

Owen Watterson: Hawks 126, Hornets 115

A lot will be told about Charlotte’s ability to drown out national noise in this rematch with Atlanta. While we still don't have a suspension update for Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, they'll undoubtedly be unavailable for this game. The Hornets calling up of Tidjaune Salaun and PJ Hall from the Swarm at least provides guys to replace the suspendee’s who at least have real NBA on-court experience. It’s an unfair ask of Salaun and Hall to replace the impact Diabate and Bridges have nightly, though. Even with those two starters playing against Atlanta last Saturday, it was a wire-to-wire game that the Hawks could have easily taken at the death.

The suspensions combined with the familiarity Atlanta will have on Charlotte from their matchup four days ago ends up being too big of an impact for the Hornets to get back to winning ways before the All-Star break. Charlotte slips tonight for a second time in a row by not having their defensive anchor available… but not without a fight.

Evan Campos: Hornets 112, Hawks 108

I have a strong feeling this one will be close throughout, with the winner jumping to the nine seed heading into the All-Star break. I’m assuming Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, who are both questionable, will be playing and that Charlotte will be without Moussa Diabaté and Miles Bridges. An underrated part of this Hornets team is its depth, particularly in the frontcourt. Grant Williams has been awesome on both ends despite not shooting that well but still being an additive two-way spacer.

Also, Tidjane Salaün has been incredibly solid this season. Losing Diabaté is huge, make no mistake. They will miss his processing offensively and versatility the most in whatever amount of games he misses. I do think a more efficient scoring game from LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller wins them this one. They shot a combined 12-39 against Atlanta this past weekend and that is not going to get it done while Charlotte is missing two of their starters. They lift the Hornets to the nine seed with a huge win.

Philip Trapp: Hornets 106, Hawks 101

Charlotte's response in tonight's game matters a lot, considering Monday's fallout. Whether or not the Hornets are forced into lineup adjustments, this feels like a game where composure and execution tilt the margins overall. Indeed, LaMelo Ball should be able to control tempo against an Atlanta defense that often struggles to contain dribble penetration. And Charlotte's recent defensive buy-in keeps this from turning into a track meet. The winning streak is over, but the foundation isn't. A steady home win sends the Hornets into the All-Star break in the thick of the play-in race.

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