Hawks 97, Hornets 94
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks, 35-6 at home a year ago, avoided starting 0-2 at Philips Arena this season and in the process gave coach Mike Budenholzer his 100th victory.
Charlotte's Kemba Walker missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Hawks, up by 14 points in the fourth quarter, held on for a 97-94 victory over the Hornets on Friday night.
Forward Kent Bazemore had 19 points for the Hawks (2-1). Forward Paul Millsap contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds and center Al Horford had 18 points as Atlanta bounced back from a loss to Detroit in the home opener.
The Hornets (0-2) used a 14-2 run to pull within 90-92 on a 3-pointer by guard Jeremy Lin, but the Hawks held on despite a late turnover that gave Charlotte a chance to force overtime.
Bazemore tipped in his own miss with 36 seconds remaining and, after a rebound basket by Charlotte forward Al Jefferson, guard Jeff Teague made two free throws with 15 seconds left.
Center Cody Zeller's rebound basket after a Hawks free throw made it a three-point game and then the Hawks committed miscue, setting up a chance to the Hornets to tie.
Forward Nicolos Batum had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, and forward Marvin Williams contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Hawks had a 12-point lead early in the second quarter but needed a breakaway layup by guard Dennis Schroder just ahead the buzzer to lead 53-52 at halftime.
Millsap, Schroder and Bazemore each had 10 first-half points for the Hawks. Batum scored 12 for the Hornets on 5-of-5 shooting from the field.
Batum had 10 points by the time the game was nine minutes old. The Hawks, though, scored the final seven points of the first quarter for a 29-22 lead and then made it a 12-0 run with the first five points of the second quarter.
The Hornets battled back from the 12-point deficit and took a 44-42 lead on a 3-pointer by rookie forward Frank Kaminsky. Guard Jeremy Lamb, making his Hornets debut, sparked the Charlotte comeback with back-to-back 3-pointers.
Millsap scored eight points and the Hawks took a 76-69 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to Teague's jumper with a second left in the third quarter. Charlotte had just 17 points in the quarter.
Horford had the Hawks' first seven points of the fourth quarter and then a 3-pointer by Bazemore and a later basket gave Atlanta a 90-76 lead.
NOTES: The Hawks rested SG Kyle Korver, who had offseason ankle and elbow surgery, as they played the second of back-to-back games. Korver was replaced in the starting lineup by G Dennis Schroder. ... F/G Thabo Sefolosha (leg) played for the Hawks after sitting out Thursday against the New York Knicks. ... G Jeremy Lamb, acquired from Oklahoma City, was active for the Hornets after missing the opener with a sprained ankle. ... Hawks F/C Mike Muscala missed his second game after spraining an ankle in Tuesday's opener. ... The Hawks and Hornets play on Sunday in Charlotte. ... The Hawks start the season with four games in six days. ... The Hawks and Hornets split four games last season, each winning twice at home.