Hornets suffer familiar fate in loss to Hawks

The Charlotte Hornets saw a familiar story play out on Friday night as the visiting Atlanta Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter for the 125-106 victory.

LaMelo Ball led the way for the Hornets with 27 points, while Trae Young had 31 points of his own to lead the Hawks.

The Hornets fall to 7-22 and will now embark on a six-game Western Conference road trip, with their next home game coming on December 30th.

What went right for the Charlotte Hornets?

LaMelo Ball’s big night

LaMelo Ball enjoyed a big night in his second game back from injury, dropping a season high 27 points while making a season high seven three-pointers. The seven three-point field goals are tied for the second-most of Ball’s career and is also tied for the second most by a Charlotte player in a game this season.

Gordon Hayward returns

Gordon Hayward made his return to the lineup after missing the previous nine games due to a shoulder fracture. Hayward registered 9 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 29 minutes of action while also recording 2 steals and a block.

What went wrong for the Charlotte Hornets?

The entire fourth quarter

After outscoring Atlanta by 10 points in the third quarter to draw to within six points, Charlotte was outscored 27-14 in the final period. After a Nick Richards dunk made the score 98-94 in favor of the Hawks, Atlanta rattled off a 22-2 run to push the score to 120-96, effectively ending the game. The point differential of -13 was Charlotte’s second-worst in the 29 fourth quarters they have played this season.

Trae Young’s big night

Atlanta’s star point guard had a big night, recording 31 points and 9 assists while going 13/14 from the free-throw line. Both the points and the made free throws are the most ever recorded by Young in 15 career games against Charlotte.

What is next for the Charlotte Hornets?

Sunday, December 18th – at Denver Nuggets (8:00 p.m.)