By Sam Perley, hornets.com
more on:
charlotte hornets
photo gallery
See what you've missed from the:
video footage
Check out video coverage from:
The Result
The Hornets bounced back from a tough double-overtime loss in Washington the night before with a big 115-100 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, Mar. 28 in Charlotte. Both teams were short-handedtonight as Charlotte was without top defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) and Cody Zeller (shoulder) while Atlanta rested all five of its starters after clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday evening. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 21 points for the Hornets while Kent Bazemore was right behind him with 20 points to lead the Hawks.
Turning Points
Atlanta was on Charlotte’s heals trailing 61-59 with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter before the Hornets broke away on a 20-10 run over the next six minutes to put some distance between them and the Hawks with a 81-69 lead. Charlotte would go on to almost triple its five-point halftime advantage by outscoring Atlanta, 33-24, in the quarter to take a 90-76 lead entering the fourth. From that point, the Hornets were able to put the game in cruise control as they went on to snap their three-game losing streak.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker finished with a team-high 21 points and six assists for his sixth double-digit scoring performance in seven games… Gerald Henderson tallied 20 points, five rebounds and four assists… Mo Williams notched 18 points off the bench, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter… Marvin Williams also finished in double figures with 17 points… P.J. Hairston was perfect on the night, tallying 12 points off the bench on 4-of-4 shooting from the field which included two made three-pointers… Bismack Biyombo tallied nine points and led the Hornets in both rebounding (11) and blocks (3)... Kent Bazemore tallied a season-high 20 points to lead the Hawks… Mike Muscala (18) and John Jenkins (16) both reached season highs as well for Atlanta… Muscala also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds… Dennis Schröder finished in double figures with 17 points and dished out a game-high 11 assists for his fifth double-double of the season… The Hornets tied a season-best by going 12-of-26 from three-point range (46.2%) while the Hawks were 15-of-30 from behind the arc (50.0%)…. Charlotte edged out the Hawks on the boards, 42-36 and outscored Atlanta in the paint, 32-22.
Hornets Player of the Game
Gerald Henderson had one of the best shooting nights of his career finishing 9-of-10 from the field for 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Hornets victory. Henderson has now scored in double figures in 16 of his last 18 games and notched 20-or-more points in two of his last three outings.
Hawks Player of the Game
Mike Muscala had a great night in his second season out of Bucknell University, finishing with career highs in points (18), rebounds (10) and assists (4). This was the first double-double of Muscala’s career who also set a new career-high by connecting on seven field-goal attempts and two three-pointers.
Game Notes
Charlotte led at the end of the first quarter for only the second time in its last 12 games… Atlanta has lost three of its last four games to the Hornets… With the win, Charlotte moved to within a game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Celtics at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 30 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX SportsSouth or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.