10/23/2026 08:38:00
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10/23 20:37 CDT Hornets blown out by Hawks 128-81 in first game home without
LaMelo Ball, booed by sellout crowd
Hornets blown out by Hawks 128-81 in first game home without LaMelo Ball, booed
by sellout crowd
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --- Jalen Johnson had 19 points, eight assists and seven
rebounds and Atlanta hammered the Charlotte Hornets 128-81 on Friday night in
the Hawks' largest blowout in franchise history.
The 47-point victory topped the previous franchise mark of 46 set in a 126-80
win over Sacramento on Nov, 15, 2017.
Aaron Wiggins added 19 points off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting and all five
Atlanta starters finished in double figures in scoring, including Nickell
Alexander-Walker with 14 and C.J. McCollum with 13.
Naz Reid led the Hornets with 17 points.
The Hornets did little to win fans over in their first home game since trading
away star point guard LaMelo Ball, a widely unpopular decision in Charlotte.
The Hawks forced 14 turnovers in the first half alone, leading to 15 points on
runouts and built a 25-point first-half lead.
The Hornets were booed loudly as they walked off the floor at halftime by the
sellout crowd of 19,524 that was expecting better from a team that won 44 games
last season.
The boos grew louder as the Hawks put the pedal down in the third quarter and
pulled away, pushing the lead to 49 in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte's Brandon Miller endured his second straight poor shooting night
since signing a franchise-record five-year, $209 million contact extension
earlier this week. He finished with six points on 1-of-11 shooting from 3-point
range. He is shooting 16% (4 of 25) from beyond the arc.
The Hornets played their second straight game without last season's NBA rookie
of the year runner-up Kon Knueppel (hamstring), starting point guard Coby White
(calf) and reserve forward Grant Williams (hamstring).
Coach Charles Lee said before the game he doesn't have a timetable for their
return Friday night, but did say all three players are making good progress in
rehab and trending in the right direction.
Up next
Hawks: Host the Rockets on Saturday night.
Hornets: Host Miami on Saturday night in a rematch of last year's play-in
tournament game.
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See AP's full NBA coverage here
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