After an exciting and inconsistent season, the Atlanta Hawks seem to have clicked just at the right time. After an impressive win against Cleveland in overtime on Sunday afternoon, the Hawks hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. The Hawks have been on a roll lately, having won their previous three games in a row. This is the last game of the regular season that the Hawks will play at their Philips Arena, so they tried to close out the season with a win in front of their fans. Hornets, on the other hand, came into this matchup with four straight losses and without any chance of making this year's playoffs.
They were shorthanded in this game as they played without their star point guard Kemba Walker and three-point specialist Marco Belinelli.
Total team effort
It was a game that was already decided in the first half time. The Hawks jumped out to a commanding 38-26 lead after the first quarter. At halftime that lead was even bigger, 63-44. Atlanta shot 71% from the field in that first half, and the Hornets just couldn't defend anything. Hawks led by as many as 34 points in this one (103-69) and the final score was 103-76. It was a total team effort as all 13 of Hawks players scored at least two points. They finished the game with 30 team assists.
Atlanta outrebounded Charlotte on Tuesday night 50-40 and held them to just 33% shooting from the field.
The Hornets couldn't connect from the three-point line as they shot a miserable 3-23 from behind the arc.
Howard with a double-double
Dwight Howard was the leading scorer for the Hawks in this one. He finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds. It was his 53rd double-double of the season. Ersan Ilyasova and Paul Millsap each added 10 points, and all 13 Hawks players scored in this game.
Coach Budenholzer rested his starters in the second half as they are getting prepared for their first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards. This was Atlanta's fourth straight win and their third win in a row at home. They will end their regular season with a road game against the Pacers on Wednesday night.
Jeremy Lamb was the leading scorer for the Hornets in Tuesday's game with 21 points to go along with five rebounds.
Kidd-Gilchrist added 10 points and six rebounds. This was the last game of the season for the Hornets as they finish the year with a 36-46 record. It is a significant drop-off from their last year's record of 48-34. They will not play in the playoffs this season.
