Hornets come from 10 down to top Hawks
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum scored 24 points, Cody Zeller scored 23 and Kemba Walker had 21 as the Charlotte Hornets rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 100-96 on Friday night.
Charlotte (8-3) took control after Atlanta's Dwight Howard was ejected for a Flagrant-2 foul with 5:38 remaining. Atlanta led 89-86 at the time.
The Hawks (9-3) had led 85-75 with 9:49 remaining.
Batum's 24 points were a season high. He also had 10 rebounds.
Zeller also had a season high. Walker scored 19 of his 21 in the second half after going without a field goal in the first half. They were the only Hornets to score in double figures.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Kent Bazemore scored 19, Mike Muscala and Dennis Schroder had 11 each, and Howard finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds.
Atlanta led 89-86 when Howard was ejected for a Flagrant-2 foul with 5:38 remaining, as Howard elbowed Zeller to the jaw. The Hornets went on a 9-0 run at that point, with Walker hitting two spectacular reverse layups and then a 3-pointer for a 95-92 lead with 2:36 left.
The Hawks got as close as 95-94 on a 3-pointer by Kyle Korver with 1:18 remaining, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist answered with a three-point play on Charlotte's next possession for a 98-94 lead with 1:01 remaining.
There were four ties and 19 lead changes in the game.
The Hornets led by as many as eight points in the first half. They led 29-28 after one quarter and 48-45 at halftime.
The Hawks opened the third quarter with a 16-4 spurt and led by as many as nine at 51-42. Charlotte came back later to retake the lead, but the Hawks led 80-75 after three quarters.
NOTES: The Hawks were without F Mike Scott (sore knee), C Tiago Splitter (strained hamstring) and G Thabo Sefolosha (sprained knee). ... The Hornets rallied from a 14-point deficit to win at Minnesota 115-108 on Tuesday. It marked the fifth time this season that the Hornets battled back from double-figure deficits to win. ... Atlanta was coming off a 107-100 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker scored 30 at Minnesota. Charlotte is 9-1 in its last 10 games when Walker scores 30 or more. ... The Hornets led the NBA in fewest turnovers in each of the past three seasons, and they're leading the league again this season, averaging 10.9 per game. ... The Hawks lead the league in turnovers forced (17.6) and rank second in field goal percentage (48.0 percent), assists (26.2) and steals (10.2). ... The Hornets were without G Jeremy Lamb (strained hamstring) for the eighth straight game but he is hoping to return soon. ... Charlotte will play at New Orleans on Saturday. ... Atlanta will continue on the road for a game at New York on Sunday afternoon. The Hawks were starting a stretch with seven of their next eight games on the road.