The Atlanta Hawks got back in the win column following an underwhelming 1-4 western roadtrip. They took their frustrations out on a lowly-Charlotte Hornets team at home with a 41-point victory, 132-91.
Surprisingly, the Hawks had not beaten the Hornets at home since 2022. The victory distanced Atlanta from the 11th seeded, Brooklyn Nets, as they inched closer to solidifying the 10th seed for the final Eastern Conference play-in spot.
Atlanta had three twenty point scorers and were led by Dejounte Murray, who kept up his high-level play, on his way to a near-triple-double. Murray had a game-high 28 points on a very efficient, 10 of 14 from the field, while hitting seven three’s. He also had 12 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews played great off the bench for the Hawks. Fernando had the play of the night with a highlight-poster-dunk over Charlotte’s, Grant Williams. He had a season-high 25 points, and went 11 of 14 from the field. Mathews also had a season-high in scoring with 20 points. Both players did that while only playing 26 and 27 minutes, respectively.
With the exception of Wes Matthews, who still finished with a +11 plus/minus rating, every Hawk player that played finished with at least a plus/minus of 15 or more. That is a good formula for success and a great morale booster for the team in the form of a dominant win.
There was not much to say positively for the Hornets, as they were dominated in just about every facet of the game. Highlighted by a paltry 28.2% from three-point land.
Miles Bridges finished with a team high 27 points and was offered little help from his teammates.
The Hawks will now turn their attention to the NBA’s best team, the Boston Celtics, in a playoff rematch at State Farm Arena Monday night. In a bizarre schedule quirk, the Hawks will actually see the Celtics twice in one week, with a game against the Portland Trailblazers sandwiched in between. Following their western trip and starting with their first game back against Charlotte, the Hawks will be at home for their next four contests.
