Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Al Horford and Cartier Martin led two separate third-quarter runs in leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 103-94 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Horford finished with 24 points while Martin scored 16 points off the bench for Atlanta, which has beaten the Bobcats nine consecutive times overall and five straight in Charlotte.
Jeff Teague recorded his fourth straight double-double with 14 points and 12 assists for the Hawks.
Josh McRoberts had a team-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc for Charlotte. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 16 points in the loss.
Al Jefferson, Charlotte's prized offseason signing, returned to the lineup after missing the last five games with an ankle sprain and scored 10 points in 27 minutes.
"It was a good win on the road, another step forward by our defense and we got another great job by our bench to come in and give us a boost," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.
Down 54-46 at halftime, Atlanta opened the third quarter by scoring eight straight points, but Charlotte answered with a 9-0 run.
Horford then led a 14-0 surge that gave the Hawks a 68-63 lead with 4:37 remaining in the frame. The University of Florida product scored eight points during the run, which was highlighted by an alley-oop dunk from Teague, and he later capped the spurt with a mid-range jumper at the top of the key.
Jeffrey Taylor ended the run -- and a drought of almost four minutes without a bucket for Charlotte -- by converting a 3-point play that pulled the Bobcats within two.
Charlotte trailed 72-70 with 1:47 left in the third, but Martin hit two 3- pointers to lead another 8-0 run that ended the quarter.
Atlanta shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range for the period, and outscored Charlotte by a 34-16 margin to take an 80-70 lead into the final stanza.
"We had a solid first half. Came out in the third quarter with absolutely nothing, disorganized at both ends of the floor and that was the difference in the game," said Bobcats coach Steve Clifford on his team's performance coming out of halftime.
The Hawks extended their lead to as many as 14 in the fourth, but the Bobcats chipped away to cut it to six at 91-85. Horford then hit two free throws to end a scoring drought of more than four minutes for Atlanta, which missed seven straight shots during the cold spell.
Charlotte pulled to within five off a McRoberts 3- pointer with just under two minutes left in the game, but free throws sealed it for Atlanta.
Kidd-Gilchrist scored all of his points in the first half, leading all scorers at the break and giving Charlotte an eight point advantage heading into halftime.
Game Notes
Clifford returned to the Bobcats bench after having two stents placed in his heart on Friday ... Jefferson played in his first game since the season opener ... With a 3-pointer in the first quarter, Atlanta's Kyle Korver has now made a shot beyond the arc in 80 consecutive games, the second- longest streak in NBA history ... The last victory for Charlotte over Atlanta was at home on April 13, 2011 ... Charlotte travels to Boston for a matchup with the Celtics on Wednesday ... Atlanta hosts the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
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