Hawks 101, Bobcats 91
Al Horford had a team-high 26 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the floor as visiting Atlanta prevented Charlotte from matching last season's win total.
Horford also had 13 rebounds and Kyle Korver drilled four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points for the Hawks, who have won four in a row.
Ramon Sessions continued his stellar play off the bench with a team-high 22 points for the Bobcats (6-5), who fell for just the second time in seven outings. Charlotte mustered just seven wins during all of last season.
DeShawn Stevenson's 3-pointer gave Atlanta a seemingly comfortable 97-83 lead with 3:05 remaining before Charlotte scored eight unanswered points to make it a two-possession game.
Horford thwarted the comeback bid after accepting a brilliant feed from Josh Smith for a dunk. The big man then capped the scoring with an 18-foot jumper.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Charlotte's Jeff Taylor had 16 points to set a career high for the third straight game. He had 10 versus Milwaukee on Monday and 11 against Toronto two nights later . ... Atlanta won all four of its meetings with Charlotte last season. ... The Hawks entered Friday's action leading the NBA in forced turnovers. Charlotte committed 15 against Atlanta.