Hornets bring extended win streak into clash with new-look Hawks
The Charlotte Hornets will put their eight-game winning streak on the line Saturday when they visit the new-look Atlanta Hawks.
The Hornets defeated Houston 109-99 on Thursday to extend their streak to the club's longest since 1999, when they won nine in a row. It was also tied for the league's longest active win streak with the New York Knicks entering Friday's action.
The streak has propelled the Hornets into the playoff picture; they're currently tied with Chicago for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
"We all understand there's still a lot more work to be done, but it's something the fans should be happy about," Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. "They should see the progress that this team is making and that this group comes out every night and they want to compete for themselves and for the city."
Atlanta won its second straight game Thursday by beating Utah 121-119 behind a career-high-tying 26 points from newcomer Jock Landale. Acquired from the Jazz - one day after he was moved from Memphis - Landale drove to Atlanta in time for the morning shootaround and was in the starting lineup that night.
"He can really play," Atlanta's Corey Kispert said. "He's super smart. He can really shoot it. He's changed his body and changed his game throughout the course of his career and I'm happy he's on our team now. He's real tough to deal with."
Kispert and CJ McCollum joined the team last month. The roster was further revamped with the trade acquisitions of Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Gabe Vincent, who were unavailable Thursday.
They join a team anchored by all-star Jalen Johnson (23.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game), who carded his 10th triple-double of the season against Utah, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is having a breakout season and averaging a career-high 20.4 points.
"It's go time," Kispert said. "The distractions are over. The outside circumstances are done. We have our roster moving forward for the rest of the year and it's time to go. We're really going to push for this thing and we've got a bunch of winners on our team, a bunch of guys who want to play hard and play for each other. That's the end of the story."
Charlotte has been driven by the heightened play of Brandon Miller, who leads the team at 20.4 points per game. Miller got in early foul trouble Thursday and was limited to 11 points.
The Hornets are balanced with LaMelo Ball (19.1), rookie Kon Knueppel (18.8) and veteran Miles Bridges (18.3) all hovering near the 20-ppg mark.
Knueppel has helped Charlotte become one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league. The Hornets rank third in the league in made 3-pointers per game (15.2) and sixth in 3-point percentage (37%), with Knueppel ranking third in the NBA with 168 made perimeter shots, behind only Donovan Mitchell and Steph Curry.
The Hornets added Coby White (18.6 ppg) from Chicago at the trade deadline. But he isn't expected to play until after the All-Star break because of an ailing right calf.
The teams have split their first two meetings; Atlanta won 113-110 at home on Nov. 23 and Charlotte won 133-126 at home on Dec. 18. They complete the four-game series Feb. 11 in Charlotte. The Hawks have won three straight over the Hornets in Atlanta.