ATLANTA - Wins haven't been easy to come by in Charlotte's brief history in the NBA, but the Atlanta Hawks have provided more of them than any other team.
The Bobcats will be trying for their fourth straight win against the Hawks when they visit Atlanta on Wednesday.
Charlotte (4-3) is 9-3 against Atlanta (2-4) since joining the league as an expansion team for the 2004-05 season. The Bobcats, who have 81 victories overall, won the last three of the Southeast Division rivals' four matchups last season and are 4-2 all-time in Atlanta.
"They've taken a step forward, I think, in terms of how they play against us and that's disheartening," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said after the last meeting, a 101-87 Bobcats win in Charlotte on March 28.
The Bobcats have averaged 102.8 points in their 12 games against the Hawks, and are hoping for similar results on offense this time around, as they are averaging just 86.7 points per game this season.
They are above the .500 mark at the latest point of the season in their history after Tuesday night's 91-76 win over the Miami Heat. Gerald Wallace scored 19 points to move into the team lead with an average of 16.3, and Jason Richardson chipped in 18.
Richardson and Wallace were both shooting lower than 40 percent from the field coming into the game but combined to make 15 of 26 shots.
Emeka Okafor added 13 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double in seven games, and the Bobcats turned in a strong defensive effort, holding the Heat to 39 percent shooting - the lowest by an opponent this season.
"I'm happy with the progress we're making on defense," Charlotte coach Sam Vincent said. "I think we're finally understanding the system we're trying to incorporate."
Vincent said he's "pushing" Othella Harrington, who has not played this season while he recovers from arthroscopic surgery, to test his left knee against Atlanta.
The Hawks have dropped four of five, including Sunday's 101-90 loss to Washington. Josh Smith had 23 points but was held to just four rebounds, while Joe Johnson, who leads the team with 19.8 points per game, added 22.
The Hawks have failed to score more than 91 points in any of their four losses, while scoring 101 and 105 in their two victories. They shot just 39 percent from the field against the Wizards - the second time they have been held under the 40-percent mark.
Sunday's loss was Atlanta's first at home, where it has recorded its only two victories of this season.
Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, who has been nursing a left knee sprain, played in his first game of the season and had two points, three rebounds and three turnovers in seven minutes off the bench. Woodson said rookie Al Horford, who had nine points and 10 rebounds, will continue to start at center.
Another rookie, Acie Law, has been starting at point guard, but he played only 14 minutes against the Wizards.
"Right now we've been floating guys in and out," Woodson said of the point guard position. "So I've got to go back and reevaluate that a little bit more as well, because the bottom line is our point guards have to play significant minutes for us to be effective."
Saturday
September 28th, 2024
7:35PM
