Atlanta, GA – Greivis Vasquez recorded the first triple- double of his career to lead the New Orleans Hornets past the Atlanta Hawks, 111-100, at Philips Arena.
Vasquez continued filling the stat sheet with 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won two in a row and snapped a four-game road skid.
Eric Gordon netted a game-high 27 points, while Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez chipped in 19 and 17 points, respectively, as New Orleans shot 52 percent from the field and overcame the Hawks' 13 3-pointers.
Josh Smith added 23 points, eight helpers and six boards, while Jeff Teague totaled 21 points and nine assists, in the loss, the club's third in four games.
Atlanta made 51 percent from the field in the first half and drained its first three shots out of the break. They then hit a cold patch and connected on just 2-of-13 the rest of the third quarter.
The Hornets took advantage and went ahead, 68-66, on a Gordon 3-pointer with 5:14 remaining. The triple was part of a quarter-ending 22-7 run that helped New Orleans open up a 79-71 advantage.
"It's been a trend of ours in the past to come out not very strong in the third. That hurt us today. I think that gave them confidence," said Hawks forward Al Horford.
The closest the Hawks got in the fourth was four, 98-94, following a Horford dunk, but Anderson came down and got a 3-pointer to fall at the other end with 3:15 to go.
After a Smith runner in the lane, Vasquez sank two free throws before putting the game away when he found Lopez behind the defense for an easy slam.
"To see him take command of the game like that says a lot about him," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said of Vasquez. "That kid is probably the toughest guy I've been around."
The Hawks held a 26-25 lead heading into the second quarter and scored 10 straight points midway through the frame to stretch the margin to 45-31.
In the final minute of the half, the Hornets began their comeback, with Vasquez hitting a 3-pointer and dishing to Anthony Davis for a dunk to cut the deficit to 55-50.
Game Notes
The Hornets are 10-7 with Gordon in the lineup ... New Orleans improved to 2-22 when its opponent scores 100 or more points ... Kyle Korver scored 17 points and broke Mookie Blaylock's Hawks record by making at least one 3- pointer in 43 straight games ... The Hawks fell to 7-1 when recording 30 or more assists ... Atlanta center Zaza Pachulia returned from a four-game absence due to a sore Achilles and scored six points in 17-plus minutes.
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