Hawks Set Franchise Record With 47-Point Demolition of Hornets in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The boos began at halftime, and by the fourth quarter there was not much left to boo. The Atlanta Hawks turned Charlotte's home opener into a franchise-record humiliation on Friday night, dismantling the Hornets 128-81 for the largest margin of victory in Hawks history.

The 47-point rout topped the previous franchise mark of 46, set in a 126-80 win over Sacramento on Nov. 15, 2017. Atlanta opened a 33-20 first-quarter lead, carried a 68-43 cushion into halftime and held the Hornets to 19 points in the third quarter to lead 97-62. The margin ballooned to 49 in the fourth, by which point the starters were resting on the bench ahead of Saturday's home game against the Houston Rockets.

Jalen Johnson led the demolition with 19 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals on 9-of-16 shooting. Reserve Aaron Wiggins matched him with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, pouring in 15 of them in the first half. All five Hawks starters finished in double figures — Nickeil Alexander-Walker (14), CJ McCollum (13) and Dyson Daniels (11) joined Johnson — plus Onyeka Okongwu with 10. Atlanta shot 50.5 percent from the field, handed out 37 assists and recorded 17 steals.

Daniels was the night's defensive star. The 23-year-old guard piled up seven steals — one shy of his career high — with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, four of the thefts coming in the third quarter alone. He has now opened the season with back-to-back five-steal games and leads the NBA in steals since the start of the 2024-25 season. The Great Barrier Thief lived up to the billing.

Atlanta forced 27 Hornets turnovers, 14 in the first half, turning them into 15 first-half points on runouts. Charlotte attempted its 10th free throw only deep into the fourth quarter and shot 34.5 percent from the field and a woeful 11-of-51 from three-point range.

For Charlotte, the night was a reckoning. It was the Hornets' first home game since the widely unpopular offseason trade that sent LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the sellout crowd of 19,524 let the team hear it — booing loudly as the Hornets trudged off the floor at halftime. The boos only grew as Atlanta put the pedal down in the third quarter.

Brandon Miller bore the brunt of the misery. Days after signing a franchise-record five-year, $209 million contract extension, the young wing managed six points on 2-of-14 shooting, including 1-of-11 from deep — his second straight poor shooting night. He is 4 of 25 (16 percent) from beyond the arc through two games. Naz Reid, acquired in the Ball deal, led the Hornets with 17 points, and Grayson Allen added 11 off the bench in his Charlotte home debut.

The Hornets were again without Kon Knueppel (hamstring), Coby White (calf) and Grant Williams (hamstring), but this was bigger than injuries. Charlotte won 44 games last season — its best campaign since 2015-16 — and the decision to deal Ball for Reid, draft picks and flexibility has split the fan base. Before tipoff, Golden State's Draymond Green called the trade 'just another one of the bad decisions that the Hornets always make.' The sellout crowd on Friday night seemed inclined to agree.

Atlanta, meanwhile, looks every bit the contender it believes itself to be. The Hawks improved to 2-0 after opening the season with a 132-125 win at Orlando, and they head home to face the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Charlotte (1-1), which opened with a 110-103 win at Brooklyn behind Reid's 20-point, 11-rebound debut, hosts Miami on Saturday in a rematch of last season's play-in game.

The Hawks' depth was on full display. Wiggins, an offseason acquisition from Oklahoma City, set the tone early. Corey Kispert buried three threes in under 10 minutes off the bench. Jock Landale — playing in a protective mask after suffering a nasal fracture in the opener — contributed eight points, six rebounds and four assists. And rookies Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor each hit their first career three-pointers as the deep bench emptied with about seven minutes remaining.

For a franchise chasing its first real contender window in years, this was a statement. For Charlotte, it was a warning — one the home crowd delivered at full volume.