By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor
After securing the top seed in the playoffs for the Eastern Conference last night with a home win over Miami, the Atlanta Hawks traveled across Southern state lines and faced a hungry Charlotte Hornets squad in a late season fight for a playoff spot. Atlanta rested its normal five starters in DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap, Al Horford, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague and fell at Charlotte, 115-100 on Saturday night.
Kent Bazemore scored a season-high and team-high 20 points in the loss for the Hawks. Mike Muscala had career-highs in points (18) and rebounds (10) while Dennis Schroder scored 17 points and dished out 11 assists for a double-double as well. Atlanta shot 43 percent from the field, making 15 three-pointers out of 30 attempts.
Kemba Walker scored a game-high 21 points for Charlotte in the win. Gerald Henderson (20 points) and former Atlanta Hawk Marvin Williams (17 points) also scored in double figures for Charlotte. Bismack Biyombo grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. The Hornets shot 52.5 percent in the win, making 12 three-pointers.
Atlanta jumped out an early 12-6 lead midway through the first quarter, making six of its first eight shots with five assists. The Hornets responded with a 9-2 run of their own to take a 17-14 lead with 4:26 left in the first quarter. Charlotte ended the first quarter with a 27-23 lead.
The Hawks attempted to keep pace with the Hornets midway through the second quarter, making eight out of 13 three-pointers but still trailed 45-40 with 5:51 left in the first half. Atlanta couldn’t cut the margin closer and were behind 57-52 at halftime.
The Hawks shot 44.2 percent from the field in the first half and made nine of 16 three-pointers. Bazemore and John Jenkins each had a team-high 11 points for Atlanta. Jenkins finished the game with 16 points. Muscala grabbed a team-high five rebounds and scored eight first-half points. The Hawks outrebounded the Hornets 21-14 in the first half as well.
Williams scored a game-high 12 points in the first-half for Charlotte. The Hornets shot 48.8 percent in the first half, converting six three-pointers.
Charlotte outscored Atlanta 33-24 in the third quarter to take a 90-76 lead into the fourth.
The Sports Inquirer 
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