By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Seeking an end to their season-long seven-game losing streak, the Hornets put together a dominant performance against the Atlanta Hawks, tallying a much-needed 107-84 win on Wednesday, Jan. 13, in Charlotte. Although they were plagued by slow starts for much of their recent skid, the Hornets managed to open the game on an impressive 17-2 run which set the tone early on against the Hawks in the first quarter. Kemba Walker bounced back to finish with a game-high 23 points while Paul Millsap carried Atlanta’s offense with 20 points in the loss.
Turning Points
The Hornets got things going quickly by storming out of the gates on a 17-2 run before Atlanta rebounded to end the first quarter down just 20-19. Charlotte retaliated by putting together a pair of stellar quarters after that, outscoring the Hawks by a cumulative score of 60-39 to take a 80-58 lead entering the fourth. Leading the way for Charlotte was Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams, who combined to score 18 of Charlotte’s 35 third-quarter points which helped put a sizable amount of distance between the hometown Hornets and visiting Hawks. From that point, Charlotte was able to put the game on cruise control and coast to its first win of
2016.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker tallied a game-high 23 points, three rebounds, five assists and a game-high three steals for the Hornets. Walker has now scored 20-or-more points in a team-high 14 games this season for Charlotte… Jeremy Lin finished with 19 points and five rebounds and also shot a season-best 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. This was also Lin’s highest-scoring performance as a reserve so far this year… Cody Zeller also scored 19 points while pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season… Nicolas Batum added six points and also dished out a team-high 10 assists which is his team-high fourth game of the season with double-digit assists… Marvin Williams recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two assists… Frank Kaminsky chipped in six points, a career-high eight rebounds, two assists and two steals… Paul Millsap was the only Hawks player to score in double figures, finishing with 20 points… Millsap, Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala each grabbed a team-high five rebounds… Schroder also had a team-high six assists… Al Horford managed just two points on 1-of-4 shooting along with two rebounds and four turnovers in 28 minutes of play… Kent Bazemore and Jeff Teague both scored nine points… Charlotte dominated the Hawks on the glass, 54-37… the Hornets connected on 13-of-40 three-point attempts (32.5 percent) while Atlanta knocked down 7-of-25 shots from behind the arc (28.0 percent).
Hornets Player of the Game
Cody Zeller put together a dominant outing for the Hornets, finishing with 19 points and game highs in both rebounds (10) and blocks (three) for his second double-double of the season, both of which have come in the last four games. This was also Zeller’s sixth game this season with 10-or-more rebounds, with four of them coming in Charlotte’s last five games.
Hawks Player of the Game
Paul Millsap was the lone bright spot for Atlanta as he finished with team highs in both scoring (20 points) and rebounds (five). The Hawks forward has now scored 18-or-more points in nine-consecutive games for Atlanta and is also just 27 points shy of reaching 10,000 for his career.
Game Notes
Jeremy Lamb left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return (toe)… Thabo Sefolosha did not play for Atlanta (wrist)… Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak to the Hawks… these teams will conclude their four-game season series in Atlanta on Feb. 28.
Next Up
The Hornets head south to take on the Pelicans at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15 in New Orleans. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
Cody Zeller Postgame Twinterview
Following the win against the Atlanta Hawks, the Hornets Cody Zeller sat down to answer your Twitter questions for a post game “Twinterview"