The Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets might be in need of some time off, and they’ll get just that after they meet Wednesday night in Charlotte.
It will be the final game for both teams prior to the eight-day All-Star break, but there’s plenty to digest before tip-off.
The Hornets had a nine-game winning streak end in Monday’s fight-marred loss to the visiting Detroit Pistons. Two players from each team were ejected, including Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges from the Hornets.
“I think overall our guys responded to every run that they went on,” said Charlotte coach Charles Lee, who was later ejected for arguing a call from a different situation. “I just love everything they brought from a competitive spirit.”
Now the Hornets likely will have to deal with roster availability issues if suspensions are levied as a result of the fight. Bridges provided a team-high 26 points in the 126-119 win on Saturday night at Atlanta.
The Hawks have lost their last two games — to the Hornets and then 138-116 at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. A bit of a new-look roster is offering challenges for Atlanta.
“We’re not used to those lineups yet,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We’re still trying to figure out some of those guys and those combinations.”
Lee said the Hornets, who have gone more than a month without back-to-back losses, responded well in standing up to the Detroit’s physicality.
Charlotte split two games with Atlanta earlier in the season, with the home teams winning each time on Nov. 23 and Dec. 18. Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel led his side in scoring in both games. Diabate has been the team’s top rebounder in all three meetings with Atlanta.
Lost in the aftermath from Monday night, Knueppel became the first rookie this season to reach 1,000 points, doing so in his 53rd game. In the last 25 years, only three players have done so in fewer games.
Knueppel’s role Monday night included trying to restrain Diabate during the fracas.
“I just tried to de-escalate (him) because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me,” he said.
Suddenly, the stakes seem higher for Charlotte.
“We’re going to have to play through some physicality some games,” Hornets swingman Brandon Miller said.
Atlanta has given up more than 130 points four times since the beginning of January, continuing a trend of troubling defensive performances. The Hawks surrendered 81 points in the first half to the Timberwolves.
“I just thought they got clean open looks,” Snyder said. “They shot the ball well, but we didn’t make them uncomfortable enough. … A lot of the shots, they were contested, but they just had too much space.”
A zone defense worked better in the second half. Some of the earlier defensive woes negated opportunities for transition offense, further hampering the Hawks, Snyder said.
Atlanta’s CJ McCollum had 38 points in the Minnesota game, marking the veteran guard’s highest total in 15 games since he was acquired from the Washington Wizards. His previous high with the Hawks was 26 points.
McCollum had 12 points in 28 minutes in last week’s matchup with Charlotte.
Among the newcomers in the mix is Gabe Vincent, who made his debut with the Hawks on Monday after a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. He had two points, four assists, three steals and one rebound in 19 minutes.
“Gabe, in particular, gave us some very good minutes,” Snyder said.
