Atlanta Hawks decimate Charlotte Hornets in 105-75 blowout
By FanSided
The Atlanta Hawks may not have an easier night at the office over their full, 82-game schedule than they did on Saturday night. In the blink of an eye, the home team sprinted to a huge lead in the first half, and after putting it on cruise control after the break, the Hawks finished off the Charlotte Hornets by a final score of 105-75.
The first half told the story for Atlanta, as the Hawks got out to a 10-point lead in the early going, and that just kept building. Charlotte’s death blow came between the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter, though, as Atlanta rattled off a 20-0 run that effectively ended the night. The Hawks out-scored the Hornets by a 38-11 margin in the second quarter, and with a 36-point halftime lead, it was smooth sailing.
In the second half, the lead grew to more than 40 points, but there wasn’t much of note to discuss. The Hornets shot just 33% from the field in the game, and while that was certainly aided by Atlanta’s defense, their opponent performed miserably throughout the night, while the Hawks shot the lights out to the tune of 53% from the floor and 12 of 23 from three-point range.
It was a collective effort for the Atlanta Hawks, as ten members of the team scored with six reaching double figures. Paul Millsap led the team with 18 points and 6 rebounds in just 24 minutes, and Mike Scott (14 points) and Jeff Teague (10 assists) were next in line for praise.
This victory closes out a 3-1 week for the team, navigating a big-time gauntlet with four games in five nights, and that is a huge positive. The Atlanta Hawks will face off with the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in their next game, but until then, there will be some time to celebrate a lopsided win.