Hornets sting the Hawks 105-90

In one of the best performances of the season, the Charlotte Hornets routed the Atlanta Hawks, 105-90. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum led the team with 16 points a piece.

The first quart was ugly, as the Hornets couldn’t find their rhythm. Clifford called a time-out only a minute and a half into the game, and it was not looking good early on. However, Marvin Williams ended up closing the first quarter with a magnificent lay-up with 0.4 seconds left, tying the game at 19.

At the start second, Briante Weber opened things with a steal and lay-up to open the quarter. Charlotte then caught fire beyond the arc, shooting 55% in the second quarter, and outscored the Hawks by nine points by the end of the half.

At halftime, the Hornets led 51-42, and had momentum. Through one half, the Hornets leading scorer was Batum with 12. The Hawks struggled with turnovers giving up seven in the first half, while the Hornets turned it over just once.

In the third quarter, the Hawks started off well, but the Hornets pulled away. With just 3:44 left in the quarter, the Hornets had a 17 point lead. Then, this happened:

The Hornets led Atlanta by fifteen as the final quarter started, then caught fire, extending their lead to 22 with 10:27 left. Finally, one thing led to another and Charlotte ended the game with a win.

Along with Walker and Batum’s efforts, Marvin Williams led the team in rebounds with eight, while Batum led the team in assists with six.

One of the major differences that separated the two teams tonight was the performance of each bench. The Hornets’ bench scored 43 points, to the Hawks’ 22 bench points.

It was a great win over a solid Hawks team, and if they can keep this form up, they may have a shot at the playoffs.