Al Horford had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Charlotte Bobcats 101-91 on Friday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Horford was 13 of 17 from the field. Kyle Korver hit 4 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for Atlanta. Jeff Teague added 13 points and 12 assists, and Josh Smith had 10 points and eight assists.
The Hawks (7-4) led most of the game. The Bobcats (6-5) got within six in the fourth quarter, but the rally fizzled from there.
Charlotte was led by Ramon Sessions, who had 22 points. Kemba Walker added 16 points and nine assists. Walker and Sessions have scored in double digits every game this season.
Charlotte trailed by 10 with two minutes remaining, but Byron Mullens hit a jumper from the corner and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist beat Horford to the basket on a strong drive to make it 97-91.
Smith then found Horford for a dunk to put the Hawks back up by eight and Horford knocked down a 16-footer to put the game away.
Bobcats rookie Jeffery Taylor, the team's second-round draft pick, set a career high for the third straight game with 16 points. Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and seven assists.
The Bobcats were one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won five of six, but they committed 15 turnovers leading to 19 Atlanta points in a sloppy game for both teams. Atlanta turned it over 22 times, leading to 22 points.
The Hawks built a 57-51 lead at the break behind Horford, who had 16 first-half points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.
The Bobcats struggled to find anyone who could guard Horford, using four different players in an attempt to shut down the 6-foot-10 center.
But Horford still found ways to score and the Hawks shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half.
The Hawks came in leading the league in forced turnovers and their defense gave the Bobcats fits early on.
Charlotte turned the ball over 10 times in the first half leading to 15 Atlanta points. The Hawks also blocked seven shots during that span.
NOTES: The Bobcats visit Washington on Saturday night, while the Hawks host the Los Angeles Clippers. ... The Bobcats came into the game unbeaten in conference play at 4-0.
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George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and the Indiana Pacers withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, beating the Hawks 81-73 on Friday night to close out the opening-round playoff...
George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and the Indiana Pacers withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, beating the Hawks 81-73 on Friday night to close out the opening-round playoff series four...
David West scored 24 points and Paul George had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana past Atlanta 106-83 on Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 playoff series lead.
David West scored 24 points and Paul George had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana past Atlanta 106-83 on Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 playoff series lead.
Josh Smith scored 29 points as the Atlanta Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback over the final two quarters to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
Josh Smith scored 29 points as the Atlanta Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback over the final two quarters to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
