Hornets at Hawks
The Charlotte Hornets are one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, sparked by Kemba Walker and his league-leading 69 baskets from long range, but sometimes the shots just do not fall. Charlotte heads to Atlanta on Sunday to face the struggling Hawks after a 109-104 loss Friday at Oklahoma City, a game in which Walker hit just 2-of-10 3-point attempts and the Hornets missed two shots to tie or take the lead in the final seconds.
“We had a wide-open one to take the lead and had another one to tie the game,” Charlotte coach James Borrego told the media afterward. “We will continue to trust our guys, trust the three ball and move on.” The Hornets awoke Saturday at .500 on the season but still in first place in the Southeast Division, and despite a 6-of-31 shooting night from long range Friday are tied for 10th in the league at 35.9 percent. Atlanta’s miserable season continued with its 10th consecutive defeat Friday, a 114-96 home loss to Boston in which the Hawks gave up 45 first-quarter points and trailed by as many as 29 in the opening half. “Still seeking and searching, trying to find a group that we can get started in terms of our energy, our effort, playing together,” Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce told reporters after the game.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FS Southeast
ABOUT THE HORNETS (9-9): Walker scored 25 points with eight assists Friday, and began Saturday third in the NBA in scoring at 28.6 points per game. Jeremy Lamb averaged 19.8 points across his past five games, hitting 7-of-13 shots from the field against Boston on Monday and again on Wednesday against Indiana. Frank Kaminsky finished with a season high in points for the second straight game Friday, scoring 12 points after finishing with 11 on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (3-16): Jeremy Lin scored 19 points Friday, and in his past five games is averaging 16.8 per contest while shooting 62 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range. DeAndre Bembry scored a career-high 14 points Friday, but other than John Collins (16 points) the rest of Atlanta’s starting lineup scored only 14 points. Rookie point guard Trae Young scored fewer than 10 points in four of his past five games, shooting 29.3 percent from the field in that span.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta G Kent Bazemore did not play in the second half Friday due to a left ankle sprain.
2. Charlotte G Tony Parker (bruised ribs) and F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (right ankle sprain) did not play Friday.
3. The Hawks' losing streak started with a 113-102 loss at Charlotte on Nov. 7.