After winning in Dallas on Wednesday night the Hawks lost to the Charlotte Hornets 109-91. There were some good, bad and ugly things that happened during the game. Here they are:
The Good:
1-Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer found a way to play 12 Hawks in the season opener in Dallas. In Charlotte, on Friday night he outdid himself on Friday night by using 13 players including rookie guard Tyler Dorsey (three minutes) and forward Nicolas Brussino (three minutes). Rookie guard Josh Magette played a career-high seven minutes after playing four minutes against the Mavericks. No Hawk played more than 32 minutes (Schroder).
2-Dennis Schroder led the team in scoring for a second straight game and now is averaging 26.5 points per game to go with a team-high six assists per game. A productive Schroder will go a long way to getting this team back to the playoffs for an eleventh consecutive spring.
The Bad:
1-Marco Belinelli scored 20 points off the bench during the Hawks win in Dallas. He shot 7-14 in 26 minutes of play and made a number of shots that either kept the Hawks in the game or gave them a lead late in the contest. On Friday night, Belinelli was 1-10 for five points in 22 minutes.
2-The Hawks were outscored 35-17 during the third quarter, 60-35 during the second half.
The Ugly:
1-The Hornets went on a 24-0 run midway through the third quarter that changed the game for good. Prior to that run, the Hawks were ahead by nine points. They would fail to lead again.
2-Former Hawks center and Atlanta native Dwight Howard scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds before fouling out. Howard was 8-12 from the field in 33 minutes and had four offensive rebounds.
Atlanta is off on Saturday and will play in Brooklyn on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
