De’Andre Hunter scored on back-to-back possessions during a 10-second span in the final minute and Jalen Johnson racked up 20 points to lift the Atlanta Hawks over the host Charlotte Hornets, 107-104, on Saturday night.
The Hawks converted down the stretch after a Charlotte rally created a dramatic finish.
Hunter finished with 18 points, Onyeka Okongwu posted 16 points and 11 rebounds and Zaccharie Risacher and Trae Young each supplied 14 points as Atlanta won its third game in a row. Clint Capela had 14 rebounds.
Charlotte’s Brandon Miller went 10-for-30 from the field on the way to 32 points. Josh Green had 17 points, Vasilije Micic turned in 15 and reserves Nick Richards and Cody Martin posted 12 apiece. The Hornets have dropped five straight games and seven of their past eight.
Atlanta stretched a 77-76 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter to 89-81 as the Hornets stalled offensively with only five points in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final frame.
The Hawks went up 91-82 with less than six minutes to play before the Hornets charged back. They got even at 99-all on Miller’s tip-in with 42.9 seconds to go before Hunter scored the next four points.
But Miller drained a 3-pointer to get the Hornets within 103-102 at the 14.6-second mark. Hunter countered with two free throws before a Charlotte timeout. Miller missed on a trey, then Okongwu made two foul shots to seal the victory.
Miller has seven straight games with 20 or more points.
The Hornets played their second game in a row without leading scorer LaMelo Ball. The team announced prior to the game that the guard’s strained left calf will sideline him for at least two weeks.
Meanwhile, Richards (ribs) played for the first time since Nov. 1 on Saturday.
Atlanta surged into halftime with a 55-50 lead by holding Charlotte to 18 points in the second quarter.
–Field Level Media
