Charlotte Hornets come back from 20 down at home to beat Atlanta Hawks

The turnover troubles aren’t over for the Charlotte Hornets, but that didn’t stop them from beating the Atlanta Hawks.

Despite committing 15 turnovers in the first half alone, the Hornets overcame a 20-point deficit for a 109-91 victory in the home opener at Spectrum Center. The Hornets evened their record at 1-1 primarily on a 24-0 run in the third quarter after the Hawks led 40-20 in the first half.

The Hornets, who committed the fewest turnovers in the NBA each of their previous four seasons, had 17 giveaways in the season-opening loss to the Pistons in Detroit Wednesday. It looked like that would again do them in until the second-half surge.

Hornets point guard Kemba Walker finished with 26 points and eight assists (plus four turnovers). Frank Kaminsky came off the Hornets’ bench for 21 points. Center Dwight Howard had 20 points off 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 15 rebounds.

Three who mattered

Dwayne Bacon: The rookie guard-forward grabbed 11 rebounds in his second NBA start.

Kaminsky: After going 1-of-9 from the field in Detroit, the power forward scored 15 points in the first half, making both his 3-pointers.

Dennis Schroder: Walker said the Hawks’ Schroder is as good as any NBA point guard at getting to the rim, and he was impressive with 25 points.

Observations

▪  The Hornets don’t seem to be able to avoid injuries this season. Backup center Cody Zeller suffered a bruised right knee in Detroit Wednesday. He missed Friday’s game and there is no timetable established for how long he’ll be out.

▪  Small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still away from the Hornets following his grandmother’s death in New Jersey. Coach Steve Clifford said Friday morning Kidd-Gilchrist will likely rejoin the team sometime over the weekend.

▪  Hawks forward DeAndre Bembry, who grew up in Charlotte, suffered a fractured right wrist in his team’s season opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

▪  The turnover problems from Wednesday sure sloshed into the first quarter Friday: The Hornets committed eight, to the Hawks’ one.

▪  Hornets coach Steve Clifford played every available player in the first quarter.

Worth mentioning

▪  This was new Hornets center Dwight Howard’s first game against the team that traded him to Charlotte. Howard said the perception among some in Atlanta that he was a bad teammate is “stupid.”

▪  The Hornets are still without reserve point guard Michael Carter-Williams (knee soreness), who has yet to be cleared for games following platelet-rich plasma injections over the summer.

▪  Howard committed his fourth foul – an offensive one in the lane – in the first two minutes of the second half.

Report card

B- OFFENSE: Turnovers were constant early, helping the Hawks to a 40-20 lead.

B DEFENSE: Schroder was the only Hawk who really hurt the Hornets once Charlotte cut down on the turnovers.

B COACHING: Clifford gambled, leaving Howard in with four fouls early in the second half, and it worked out.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets come back from 20 down at home to beat Atlanta Hawks."