Recap: Atlanta vs. Charlotte
Sports Network | November 21, 2008
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson scored 30 points and doled out eight assists to lead Atlanta in an 88-83 victory over Charlotte.
Marvin Williams chipped in 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid. Mike Bibby had 14 points and six helpers, and Maurice Evans had 10 points and 10 boards.
D.J. Augustin had 26 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who have lost three straight and five of six overall. Gerald Wallace had 17 points and 10 boards, while Emeka Okafor grabbed 11 rebounds.
Johnson drained a three to make it 80-79 in the Hawks' favor with 4:13 left.
Raymond Felton answered with a jumper, but the Hawks rattled off seven straight points to put the game out of reach.
Williams started the surge with a three, Evans nailed a jumper and Johnson hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left.
"The shots were going down, we got the stops we needed, but we were going back and forth," said Bibby. "Hopefully we can play games ahead once in a while."
Charlotte was up 24-16 after the first quarter, but Atlanta came back to take a 47-43 lead at the break.
Augustin's three-pointer tied the game at 56 with 5:23 left in the third stanza.
"The effort was there," said Wallace. "Our main focus was we've been coming out and lagging from the start. We came out tonight with a more aggressive approach."
Johnson connected on a pair of threes to give the Hawks a 62-56 lead. However, Okafor and Jared Dudley had a basket each and Matt Carroll connected on a three-point play to give the Bobcats a 63-62 lead heading into the final frame.
The teams traded baskets and the lead see-sawed through the fourth quarter.
The Hawks are 4-1 at home this season...Charlotte is 0-3 as the visitor this season...Bobcats guard Jason Richardson is still out after undergoing right knee surgery and didn't play...Atlanta and Charlotte split four meetings a year ago, and the Bobcats had won two straight...Charlotte has lost three straight and four of five at Philips Arena.
