Hornets at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are fresh off one of the most startling victories in franchise history and look to win their fourth consecutive game when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Atlanta became the third team in NBA history to win a game in which it trailed by 26 or more points entering the fourth quarter when it rallied for a 126-125 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
The Hawks outscored the Cavaliers 44-18 in the fourth quarter to force overtime before prevailing to beat Cleveland for the second time in three nights. "It's a great momentum-builder," shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. told reporters. "We needed it. We have to give our bench credit. They did a phenomenal job of coming in." Atlanta stands fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff chase with a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, while Charlotte was recently eliminated and has dropped its last four games. Hornets All-Star guard Kemba Walker missed Monday's 89-79 loss to the Bucks due to a hyperextended left knee and will also miss Tuesday's season finale.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte, Atlanta)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (36-45): Not having Walker's 23.2 points per game affected Charlotte's offense as the Hornets recorded their second-lowest point total of the season behind the 77 scored against the Indiana Pacers on March 15. Coach Steve Clifford cited that Walker's absence changed the regular lineup and the substitution patterns and told reporters the following afterward: "To have a chance, you got to have organization and we didn't even get to the starting point there." Backup shooting guard Marco Belinelli (finger) will likely miss his third straight game.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (42-38): Hardaway topped 20 points in each game of the winning streak and reached at least 20 in four of the past five games. The 25-year-old was superb in the fourth quarter of the past three games, making 11-of-12 shots and averaging 9.3 points. All-Star power forward Paul Millsap is displaying that his recent knee injury is behind him by averaging 24 points and 10.5 rebounds in his past two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hornets are 3-0 against the Hawks this season, holding Atlanta below 100 points in each game.
2. Atlanta C Dwight Howard is averaging 6.5 rebounds over the past two games after being in double digits in each of his previous 19 games.
3. Charlotte backup C Frank Kaminsky scored three points on 1-of-12 shooting in the loss to the Bucks.