Hornets Shock Hawks 126-109

The Atlanta Hawks fall to 2-1 after losing to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Summary

The Atlanta Hawks had a light practice on Saturday and canceled their gameday shoot-around on Sunday morning. Despite the extra rest and no travel, the Hawks still looked lethargic against the Charlotte Hornets.

With LaMelo Ball out with a sprained ankle, the Hornets shocked the Hawks 126-109. Not bad for ten-point underdogs. 

The Hawks shot 41.1% from the field and 22.9% from deep. John Collins finally cooled off, and the Hawks bench provided little help outside Onyeka Okongwu. Trae Young had his second consecutive cold shooting night, going 9-25.

2️⃣1️⃣ points for Kelly and counting. pic.twitter.com/aZZ3enPpC9

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) October 23, 2022

Not only were the Hawks struggling on offense, but their newfound defensive identity disappeared. The Hornets scored 45 points in the third quarter. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 24 points, blowing kisses to the fans after each of his nine buckets.

Following the game, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan put it bluntly. "We didn't play ******* defense." The Hawks schedule gets tougher from here. They are on the road for the next five games, with the first stop in Detroit on Wednesday. Stay locked into AllHawks.com.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Trae Young - 28 PTS, 9 AST

Dejounte Murray - 19 PTS, 7 REB

Clint Capela - 14 PTS, 10 REB

Hornets Leaders

Kelly Oubre Jr. - 24 PTS, 9 REB

Nick Richards - 20 PTS, 11 REB

Dennis Smith Jr. - 18 PTS, 6 REB

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