Trae Young returned to the lineup to produce his 39th double-double of the season and help the Atlanta Hawks win their fourth consecutive game, a 123-110 decision against the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Young, who missed Atlanta’s Monday game with a bruised left quadriceps, came back to score 35 points — going 21-for-21 at the foul line. He added 12 assists and seven rebounds. It was his 19th game with 30-plus points.
Young became only the eighth player in NBA history to have 21-plus free throws without a miss.
The Hawks improved to 3-0 against the Hornets this season and solidified their hold on the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta also got 15 points from Caris LeVert and 12 points from Georges Niang.
Charlotte’s Miles Bridges logged 31 points and 11 rebounds. LaMelo Ball contributed 25 points and nine assists, and DaQuan Jeffries scored a career-high 20 points. The Hornets had their two-game winning streak end as their road record dropped to 6-25.
Neither team played well in the first half, both shooting less than 42 percent from the field and combining for 19 turnovers. Atlanta led by as many as seven and Charlotte led by as many as six, with the Hawks holding a 52-49 lead at the break.
The Hawks added some distance by scoring the first 11 points of the second half, with Dyson Daniels scoring on a layup for a 63-49 lead.
Charlotte got as close as four points with 9:58 left in the game on a floater by Nick Smith Jr., only to have Atlanta regain the momentum with Young converting a three-point play for a 10-point lead with 8:19 to go. The Hawks put the game away with back-to-back 3-pointers from LeVert and Niang that increased the lead to 108-95 with 4:53 left.
The Hawks were without backup center Clint Capela (personal reasons).
Atlanta completes its six-game homestand on Friday with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Hornets play the third leg of their four-game road trip on Friday at San Antonio.
