By ,
Published October 30, 2015
ATLANTA (AP) Dennis Schroder made Atlanta's two-point guard lineup look good by scoring 14 points and the Hawks held off Charlotte's late comeback to beat the Hornets 97-94 on Friday night.
Kent Bazemore led Atlanta with 19 points while Paul Millsap and Al Horford each had 18.
Trailing 97-94, the Hornets had one final opportunity following a Hawks turnover with 2.8 seconds remaining. Kemba Walker's last-second 3-point attempt bounced off the rim.
Jeff Teague had 14 points, including two free throws with 14 seconds remaining that gave the Hawks a 96-92 lead.
Nicolas Batum led the Hornets with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer tried a two-point guard lineup as Schroder started with Teague and Kyle Korver was held out while resting his surgically repaired ankle.
Budenholzer used Teague and Schroder together at times in the preseason and said the game without Korver was ''an opportunity to push that further.''
Bazemore, not Schroder, filled the 3-point void left by Korver's absence. Bazemore made four 3-pointers, including each of his three attempts in the first half.
The Hawks struggled to pull away from the Hornets. Atlanta lost a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, then the Hornets came back again after trailing by 14 early in the final period. Atlanta led 90-76 before two free throws by Jeremy Lin sparked a Charlotte run that included two 3-pointers from Marvin Williams and another from Lin.
A basket by Teague stopped the Hornets' 11-0 run, but Lin answered with another 3 with 1 minute remaining, leaving the Hawks with a 92-90 lead. Millsap's tip-in pushed the lead back to four points. Al Jefferson's offensive rebound and basket again cut the lead to two points.
Jefferson had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Hornets: G Jeremy Lamb (right ankle sprain) was available after missing the season opener. ... Williams and Walker each had 13 points. Williams had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Hawks: F/C Mike Muscala (sprained right ankle) missed his second straight game. ... Budenholzer said Korver's playing time will continue to be monitored, including in back-to-back games, following offseason surgeries on his ankle and elbow. He started and played 32 minutes against the Knicks. ... F Thabo Sefolosha had four points after missing Thursday night's game to rest his right ankle.
FIRST POINTS
Frank Kaminsky, the Hornets' No. 9 overall pick from Wisconsin, hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter for his first career points. He added another basket on a short floater later in the period.
HARDAWAY PLAYS
G Tim Hardaway Jr. made his debut for the Hawks. He was in uniform but did not play in Thursday night's win at the Knicks and was inactive in the opener against Detroit.
PRAISE FOR PATTERSON
Rookie Lamar Patterson has moved ahead of Hardaway, acquired from the Knicks, in the playing rotation. Budenholzer said the 6-foot-5 Patterson has ''great poise and understanding'' and is a tough defender with ''some strength and toughness to him.''
UP NEXT
The Hawks and Hornets will play in Charlotte on Sunday. It will be the Hornets' home opener after playing their first two games on the road for only the second time in franchise history and the first time since 2005-06.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/bazemores-19-points-help-hawks-hold-off-hornets-97-94