The Hawks came home fresh off a season sweep against the Brooklyn Nets. Atlanta also dealt with the arrests of Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic in New York City hours after their win at home against the Suns. Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and is out for the rest of the season. The Hawks did receive the services of Antic for tonight's win against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hawks got out to a quick 13-8 lead in the first quarter despite starting the game 4 of 13 from the field. Point guard Kemba Walker drained a three, and it cut the deficit to three at 14-11. Jason Maxiell knocked down a bucket right before the end of the quarter to make the score 15-15. Maxiell had an efficient night off the bench for the Hornets as he had 13 points and four rebounds.
Atlanta quickly got the lead off of a Dennis Schroder basket at 17-15 early in the period. Schroder would then extend the lead to 23-19 on a three ball. P.J. Hairston got the deficit to one after knocking down a three of his own to make it 23-22. Mo Williams added another tie to the game at 25. The three-point shootout would continue as Kyle Korver knocked down two three-pointers for Atlanta that helped extend the lead to 35-30 with 6:40 left. Leads would continue to be traded in the second quarter, but Kemba Walker got the Hornets their first lead of the game with an and-one play that made it a 48-45 game with nine seconds left in the half. Mike Muscala then knocked down an alley-oop slam that made it a 48-47 Hornets lead at halftime. Muscala led all Hawks scorers for the game with 17 points and added six rebounds.
The Hawks took over the lead early in the third quarter due to two baskets by Al Horford that made it 52-50. Atlanta would lead for the rest of the game. A three on one fast break made it a 56-50 game with 7:47 left. The Hawks were on a 9-2 run. Kemba Walker knocked down a three to cut the deficit to 56-53, but that was as close as Charlotte would get for the rest of the game. The Hawks then went on a 14-3 run. Al Horford made it a 66-56 game with 1:43 left to give them their first double digit lead. Atlanta led, 70-60, after three quarters.
The Hawks continued their streaking momentum in the game as Kyle Korver knocked down a four-point play to start the fourth quarter. A pair of Mike Muscala buckets then made it a 85-69 game with 5:50 left. Muscala was streaking as he knocked down a three to make it a 88-71 game. He shot 90 percent for the game. Three pointers by DeMarre Carroll, John Jenkins, and Austin Daye made it a 101-75 game, and the Hawks ended the game strong with a 104-80 win to record their 60th victory of the season.
The Atlanta Hawks have three games left in the regular season. They will face the Wizards on April 12th, the Knicks for their final home game on April 13th, and finish the regular season on the road in Chicago to take on the Bulls on April 15th. The Charlotte Hornets are officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 33-46 overall record. They will face the Pistons on the road on April 12th, the Rockets at home on April 13th, and finish the season on the road versus the Raptors on April 15th.