Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reactions to 129-120 loss to Hornets

Rapid reaction to the Atlanta Hawks defeat at the hands of Charlotte Hornets.

The Atlanta Hawks played their 54th game of the season Saturday night, a home game against the Charlotte Hornets (their 4th and final of the season).

The Hornets, the current 7th seed in the East despite being under .500, came out absolutely blistering. They started the game by making their first 8, and finished the quarter with nearly 50 points. The 46 they recorded was their best scoring quarter all year.

They weren’t able to keep that same level of scoring up all game, but still made a game out of it.

The Hawks meanwhile, were very up and down, keeping it close with interwoven hot streaks while also going cold from time to time. No better example of their fluctuating night is the 37 points they scored in the 2nd quarter, followed by just 18 in the third.

The Hornets did slow down in the final period, and the Hawks were able to cut it down to just 10 for a while, but Kemba Walker woke up just in time, capping off his monster night by carrying his team to the win. The recently named All-star starter finished with 37, with 9 threes and 7 assists.

The Hornets as a team shot 54% from the field and 45% on threes, both among their season highs.

Kevin Huerter hit two threes down the stretch to make the final deficit not as bad, 129-120.

The dynamic duo of John Collins and Trae Young once again led the Hawks, with the sophomore scoring 21 on 12 attempts and the rookie with 20 points and 11 assists, his 15th double-double. Only Deandre Ayton has more among rookies.

As a team Atlanta shot fairly well (53%) but were once again burdened by turnovers, turning it over 18 times tonight.

Box Score Notes:

• Dewayne Dedmon, came into the night as the 7th best 3-point shooting center, and only helped his cause tonight, making 4 of 6 from deep.
• 11-man rotation for Lloyd Pierce in the first game without bench fillers and trade deadline victims Tyler Dorsey and Daniel Hamilton.

That’s it for this one.

It’s hard to win when the other team shoots lights-out like the Hornets did to start the contest.

The Hawks will continue their search for their 19th win tomorrow night against the Magic at home.