Despite the numerous injuries to senior players which undermine the ambitions of the Hornets, Charles Lee's group can congratulate themselves on having pushed the Hawks to their limits. On the second evening of a “back-to-back” after having defeated Cleveland the day before, Atlanta, which was playing without Bogdan Bogdanovic, had to work until the end so as not to see victory slip away from it on the thread.
The Hornets showed their determination from the start, with the Micic-Green-Miller trio to kick off the hostilities. The passage of Zaccharie Risacher, on two dunks then a 3-pointer, was not enough to calm the locals, who continued with a 14-2, this time fueled by KJ Simpson, Cody Martin and Brandon Miller (29-20 ).
De'Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson corrected the situation at the end of the first quarter (32-29), but Charlotte continued its lead until the end of the first half, when Trae Young twice, Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter allowed the Hawks to go on a 14-1 run to lead 53 to 45. Moussa Diabaté's dunk with Onyeka Okongwu's foul as a bonus kept Charlotte in the lead. the break (50-55), even if everything had to be done again!
Risacher widens the gap
Atlanta took a ten-point lead on a 3-pointer and an assist from Zaccharie Risacher for Jalen Johnson, also at 3-points (53-63), but the Hornets had not said their last word.
This time, it was the remarkable passage of Josh Green which put Charlotte back in the game, with two lay-ups then two 3-point arrows to catch up (70-69). Under pressure, the Hawks were able to breathe new life by going 8-0 to start the last act, with two baskets from Onyeka Okongwu and a new well-placed dunk from Zaccharie Risacher (79-87). What would dissuade Charles Lee's men? Clearly not!
To kick off the mega “money time”, Brandon Miller and Vasilije Micic fired from afar. The Serbian leader added with a lay-up and another 3-pointer, before seeing Brandon Miller snatch the equalizer on an unexpected tap after a 1/2 from De'Andre Hunter on the free throw (99-99).
In the last 30 seconds, however, it was De'Andre Hunter who was the hero, going for a first basket near the circle then benefiting from a ready basket after a fall which Charlotte tried to take advantage of by playing quickly (99-103). He was there again on free throws to respond to Brandon Miller's 3-pointer (102-105). The latter still had one last opportunity to equalize at 105-105, but his shot five seconds from the end did not find the circle, leaving Onyeka Okongwu to secure the victory, on the wire (104-107) .
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Desire is not everything… He didn't miss much to improve the match for the Hornets who played at will and who almost managed to swing the match in the right direction. Beyond the many absentees, we can deplore that Brandon Miller did not have other reliable relays than Josh Green and Vasilije Micic at the end, which contributed to him taking 30 shots in the match. There were also some uncontrolled sequences and a little too much haste at times, like when the returning Nick Richards who went on a counter-attack tried to send a lobbed pass when Atlanta was only leading by two points (92- 94). Desire is not everything!
– The malice of De'Andre Hunter. The winger was the hero late in the match, finding a way to the rim as the score read 99-101. While he was still on the floor, Charlotte tried to play quickly to take advantage of a 5-on-4 situation, but Vasilije Micic ultimately lost the ball, offering a ready pass to a left-handed De'Andre Hunter. the other side of the field to kill the match. The turning point of the meeting, even if he then had the composure necessary to respond to Brandon Miller's 3-pointer.
– The beautiful week in Atlanta. Beaten on Monday by the Mavs of an unstoppable Kyrie Irving on Monday evening, the Hawks then followed up with two successes against Cleveland, leader of the Eastern Conference, to end with a victory in Charlotte, in “back-to-back”. It's the first time this season that Quin Snyder's men have had three wins in a row and it's obviously encouraging as some very heavy stuff presents itself this month, notably with a series of Bucks, Lakers, Nuggets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Wolves before Christmas.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
