Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Lance Stephenson banked in a 3-pointer as
time expired in the second overtime, lifting the Charlotte Hornets over the
Atlanta Hawks, 122-119, on Friday.
The Hawks actually had the first chance to break the 119-119 tie, inbounding
the ball with 2.7 seconds left. But Kyle Korver was called for an offensive
foul.
Following a timeout, Stephenson took a pass from Marvin Williams and hit the
game-winning shot from the top of the arc.
Stephenson ended with 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won
two in a row since a three-game skid. Al Jefferson added 34 points and nine
boards.
Al Horford had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who fell to 1-3 on the
young season. Jeff Teague and Korver tallied 22 and 20 points, respectively,
with Teague also dishing out 15 assists.
The Hornets’ first chance to win the game in double overtime came with 2.7
seconds remaining. Kemba Walker’s shot was blocked by Teague and Charlotte was
called for a 24-second shot clock violation.
But Korver’s offensive foul gave the Hornets another shot.
Down 78-70, the Hornets started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 spurt to get
within one. They kept it close and were able to tie things up in the final
seconds.
The Hawks took a 97-94 lead on Horford’s slam with 54 seconds remaining.
Cody Zeller responded with a tip-in at the other end and after Horford was
called for traveling, Jefferson went 1-of-2 from the line with 9.9 seconds
left.
Paul Millsap missed a jumper at the buzzer.
The Hornets jumped out to a 108-102 lead with 24.3 seconds left in the first
overtime.
But Teague made a layup and Korver knocked down a 3-pointer after Atlanta won
a jump ball to cut the Charlotte lead to 108-107 with 12 seconds to go. Walker
responded with two free throws to give Charlotte a three-point edge.
Mike Scott got two chances to tie things up at the other end. Scott missed a
3-pointer with 5.9 ticks on the clock, but the ball went out of bounds off the
Hornets. Scott redeemed himself by making a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left.
Walker missed a 3-pointer to send the game to a second overtime.
The Hawks started the game on a 16-6 run and led 29-22 after 12 minutes of
action.
But the Hornets scored the first nine points of the second quarter to take a
31-29 lead. The remainder of the period was a back-and-forth battle that ended
with Atlanta taking a 50-47 edge into the locker room.
The Hawks led 78-70 after outscoring Charlotte by a 28-23 margin in the third
stanza.
Game Notes
The Hornets snapped a six-game losing streak to the Hawks in Charlotte …
Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 10 points after missing the
previous two games with a rib contusion.
