| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Suddenly, the season looks much brighter for the
Charlotte Hornets.
Eddie Jones scored 24 points, Todd Fuller had a strong game
filling in for Elden Campbell, and the Hornets pulled away in the
final quarter for their third straight victory, 86-70 over the
cold-shooting Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Charlotte, sixth in the Eastern Conference and looking to
improve its position for the playoffs, put together the winning
streak after losing three in a row.
|  | | Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo is powerless to stop Charlotte's Eddie Jones from slamming down two of his game-high 24 points. |
"We want to be a good team," Jones said. "We started creating
turnovers and hitting shots. When we do things like that, it's hard
to beat (us)."
At the other end of the spectrum is Atlanta, which lost for the
seventh time in eight games, including three straight. The Hawks
were held to their lowest output of the season, shooting 33 percent
from the field, and managed only 35 points in each half.
"We couldn't shoot the ball worth a nickel," coach Lenny
Wilkens said.
Leading only 64-58 after Alan Henderson scored for Atlanta with
9:50 remaining, the Hornets used an 18-3 spurt to blow the game
open. Jones scored eight points during the run, including a
3-pointer.
"We were looking for that run, knew it would come eventually,"
coach Paul Silas said. "They kept us at bay for a while. Then our
guys really picked it up."
Jones had 12 points, hitting a couple of 3-pointers, to account
for half of Charlotte's scoring in the third quarter as the Hornets
stretched a 38-35 halftime lead to 62-54.
Campbell, Charlotte's starting center, didn't play because of
flu-like symptoms, but it didn't matter. Fuller stepped in with a
season-high 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
"I had some adrenaline going and that helped," Fuller said.
"The more guys we have that contribute, get rebounds, play defense
and shoot the ball well will help our chances to be a better ball
club by the end of the season."
Anthony Mason also had 15 rebounds for the Hornets, adding 12 points and 11 assists for his sixth career triple-double..
The Hawks led by as many as eight in the first quarter before
fading away in a barrage of missed shots. They finished 29-of-87
from the field, apparently tired from playing their fifth game in
seven nights.
"We must be," said Jason Terry, who went 3-for-10. "Guys were
shooting terrible. Even layups were airballs. It was just a rough
shooting night."
Henderson, with 17 points, and Dikembe Mutombo, with 11 points
and 20 rebounds, were the only two in double figures for the Hawks.
They combined to hit 13 of 18 shots -- their teammates went
16-of-69.
Jim Jackson hit only 2 of 13, while both LaPhonso Ellis and
Lorenzen Wright made 2 of 10.
Game notes
Derrick Coleman needed two stitches after being poked near
the left eye by Roshown McLeod in the first quarter. Coleman
returned to score 11 points and grab eight rebounds. ... Chris
Crawford was not in uniform for the Hawks after spraining his left
ankle Friday in a loss at New York. ... The Hawks lost at home for
the fourth time in five games, dropping to 18-17 overall in their
first season at Philips Arena. ... Charlotte improved to 12-21 on
the road. ... Atlanta's lowest-scoring game until Saturday: an
85-73 loss at Phoenix on Feb. 18. ... The Hawks scored a season-low
13 points in the second quarter. ... At 25-44, Atlanta has its
worst 69-game record since the franchise moved from St. Louis in
1968.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 86
Atlanta 70
Washington 93
Dallas 86
San Antonio 96
Cleveland 76
Utah 84
Vancouver 75
Detroit 126
LA Clippers 107
|
