4 observations after Atlanta Hawks lose on the road in Charlotte

The Atlanta Hawks got beat inside-out

The Hornets stayed close thanks to 18 first-half points from Miles Bridges, including 12 in the first quarter, and 11 points from Montrezl Harrell. Charlotte went 30-of-47 in the paint including 25-of-37 in the restricted area, outscoring Atlanta 60-48. The Hawks let the Hornets go 17-of-25 combined in the paint, 14-of-20 in the restricted area, in the second and fourth quarters.

But the Hawks connected on just 24-of-45 of their looks inside including 20-of-34 in the restricted area. This is the 20th time the Hawks have hit 48.0 percent or worse on twos this season.

Their record is now 6-15 in those games with one of the wins coming just a couple of nights ago against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Clint Capela had a 17-point, 15-board double-double to go with one assist and one steal even knocking down all three of his attempts at the charity stripe. However, he shot just 50 percent from the floor.

Conversely, Onyeka Okongwu had 14 points on better than 87.0 percent shooting with five boards and two blocks. But he picked up three fouls less than halfway through the second quarter and would not return until there were just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Hawks hit just 6-of-17 in the paint in that stretch while the Hornets hit 9-of-13 looks.

Okongwu’s fouling has been an issue for much of the season. His 36.4 percent foul rate is the eighth-highest in the entire league among players with at least 35 appearances. He even got one in the third quarter despite playing just a little over four minutes the entire period.