Gordon Hayward was sublime on Wednesday for the Hornets, scoring a career-high 44 points as the Hornets fended off a Hawks rally to earn a 102-94 win.
Hayward helped Charlotte start fast as they held Atlanta to 11 first-quarter points and led by 16 after one quarter. The lead grew to 19 points by halftime as Hayward scored 25 of the team’s 59 points.
Atlanta closed the gap in the second half though and eventually took the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a John Collins and-one but Hayward returned to the game and sealed the win for Charlotte with a 14-point fourth quarter.
Hayward led all scorers while LaMelo Ball had 16 and Terry Rozier added 14.