NBA: Hornets hold off Hawks' late comeback attempt

Brandon Miller scored 31 points, leading the short-handed Charlotte Hornets to a 110-107 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

LaMelo Ball added 24 points and six assists as Charlotte won for the 10th time in 11 games.

The Hornets played without center Moussa Diabate and forward Miles Bridges, who were suspended by the NBA for their roles in Monday night’s brawl with the Detroit Pistons. Grant Williams and Ryan Kalkbrenner stepped into the starting lineup, scoring seven and five points, respectively.

Kon Knueppel contributed 18 points, while PJ Hall, returning after more than a month out, recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. Charlotte held on despite struggling offensively over the final 5½ minutes.

Dyson Daniels led Atlanta with 21 points, Jalen Johnson had 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, Onyeka Okongwu added 18 points, and CJ McCollum scored 17 points. Both teams enter the All-Star break with 26 wins each.

Charlotte made 19 of 51 shots (37.3%) from three-point range, including seven from Ball and five from Miller. Atlanta shot 10-for-36 (27.8%) from long distance.

The Hornets maintained a double-digit lead through much of the second half, but the Hawks closed the gap to 108-100 on Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer with less than three minutes left. Daniels’ basket and three free throws from Okongwu cut it to 108-105 with 1:39 remaining, and Johnson’s layup made it 108-107 with 59.6 seconds to go. A Hawks turnover by Okongwu sealed the win as Knueppel made two free throws with 19.4 seconds left, and Okongwu missed a potential tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

Charlotte led 58-49 at halftime, fueled by Miller’s 15 points and 19 bench points. Knueppel hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Hornets build a 10-point lead. Hall and Ball each scored six points in the opening quarter, which ended 35-27 in favor of Charlotte.

The Hornets’ lead grew to 17 points in the second quarter before Atlanta cut it to 58-49 at the half.

—Field Level Media/Reuters