Ten observations from the Hawks 129-117 loss to the Hornets Thursday night at Philips Arena. The Hornets swept the season series.
1. Dwight Howard did it again to the Hawks. The Atlanta native, who played for his hometown team last season before a trade, had his fourth double-double against the Hawks this season. He got the latest by the third quarter and finished the period with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Howard now has 42 double-doubles this season. He finished with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds, the third game in the past five that he has scored 30 or more points.
2. As much as Howard plays with extra motivation against the Hawks, the crowd caught some of his wrath as well. After a cross-over move past John Collins led to a left-handed dunk, Howard appeared to say something to the crowd. He was assessed a technical foul on the play. Following the game, Howard thanked Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer for the trade. “I’m not angry at all,” Howard said. “It’s a business. My time here was pretty good. It was a lot of learning lessons. It didn’t go the way I think the people here in Atlanta and myself wanted it to go. But everything happens for a reason. It motivated me to just come back this season with a different mindset. Play with more confidence and stuff like that. So thank you, Bud.
3. The Hornets led from start to finish. They led by as many as 16 points in the first half. The Hawks rallied to tie the game in the second quarter but the Hornets went on a run to regain the lead. The biggest damage was done in the third quarter as the Hornets outscored the Hawks 34-24 and shot 60 percent from the field. The Hornets led by as many as 23 points. The Hornets got a triple-double from Nicolas Batum with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists and 24 points from Kemba Walker.
4. Collins nearly had a double-double with a career-high tying 21 points and nine rebounds. The rookie was 7 of 10 from the field and tied his career-high with two 3-pointers.
5. Nice stint for Damion Lee, especially in the second quarter. Lee, just signed to a 10-day contract, played nine minutes in the period and had nine points, making all 3-point attempts. He hit one in the closing seconds of the first half in the face of Batum. Unfortunately, Walker answered and the Hornets took a 63-55 lead into intermission. Lee finished with 14 points. He had 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in 17.2 minutes on Tuesday in his NBA debut. Lee is the first rookie to score in double figures in his first two games since Paul Graham in 1991-92.
6. Such things continue to haunt the young Hawks. Isaiah Taylor fouled Walker on a 3-point try as the shot clock was about to expire late in the third quarter. Walker made all three free throws and the Hornets had a 20-point lead, 89-69.
7. The chemistry between Dennis Schroder and Collins is getting better. Collins was the beneficiary of several no-look passes from Schroder, one resulting in a three-point play early in the second quarter. Schroder dropped a pass on a drive the basket that Collins converted the and-one. Schroder (14 points) and Collins (13) led the Hawks in the first-half scoring.
8. The Hawks still have the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 20-49. A win would have given them 21 wins, matching both the Magic and the Nets. They remain behind the Grizzlies (18) and Suns (19) for the worst record in the NBA.
9. Taurean Prince had his third straight strong offensive game. He finished with 22 points, including six 3-pointers. He had 25 and a career-high 38 points in his previous two games.
10. At least Hawks fans came away with Chick-fil-A. The Hornets’ Frank Kaminsky missed two fourth-quarter free throws, with plenty of cheers before the second miss. It entitled all fans to a free sandwich. Thank goodness for the little things.
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