The Sports Inquirer

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Atlanta Hawks used a balanced offensive effort to dismantle the reeling Charlotte Hornets 105-75 in a home contest at Philips Arena on Saturday night.

Atlanta (9-6) won four out its five contests this week with the lone defeat coming to Toronto on Nov. 26.

Paul Millsap led all scorers with 18 points for Atlanta (9-6) along with six rebounds. Five other Hawks scored in double-figures; Mike Scott (14 points), Dennis Schroder (12 points), Kyle Korver (12 points), Al Horford (11 points) and DeMarre Carroll (10 points). Teague had a game-high 10 assists along with six points.

Atlanta shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 12 three-pointers. The Hawks outrebounded the Hornets 44-38 and had more assists 31-20.

“That was a good effort that hopefully we can build from,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The execution, effort and activity (on defense) was good. That’s always more important than any concept or scheme. The guys have really committed and were very good defensively. We can’t rest and have to get better.”

Charlotte (4-14) has now lost nine straight games with its last win coming over Phoenix on Nov. 14. The Hornets struggled from the field the entire evening, finishing with a shooting percentage of 33 percent. They only made five out of 23 three-pointer attempts.

PJ Hairston had a team-high 15 points for Charlotte while Gerald Henderson, Al Jefferson and Jannero Pargo scored in double-figures. Bismack Biyombo had a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench for the Hornets.

“I thought the guys in the fourth quarter and the end of the third did a good job,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “Other than that, it was unacceptable. That’s my responsibility to get them ready to play and we weren’t ready to play.”

Atlanta had a strong start to the game, leading 28-17 after the first quarter. The Hawks continued their strong play in the second quarter, which included a 20-0 run. Atlanta took a 64-28 locker room.

The Hawks shot 61 percent from the field, making eight of nine three-pointers. Millsap had a game-high 14 points and six rebounds through the first two quarters. Schroder had 10 points off the bench for Atlanta.

“When you’re playing good defense and getting those steals, the offense comes easy,” Carroll said. “We just have to stay focused. Our bench was great tonight. It just shows how much depth we have on our team.”

Charlotte shot only 26 percent in the first half, including making only one out of 11 three-pointer attempts.

Both teams scored 20 points in the third quarter, giving the Hawks an 84-51 advantage going into the fourth quarter.