Hawks 104, Bobcats 92
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Josh Smith had 30 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and Kyle Korver scored 21 as the injury-decimated Atlanta Hawks beat the Charlotte Bobcats 104-92 on Wednesday night.
The Hawks snapped a six-game road losing streak with the victory, and extended the Bobcats' homecourt losing streak to a franchise-record 16 straight.
Atlanta, 24-18, had lost eight of its previous 11 games.
The Hawks were without Al Horford (sore left calf), Devin Harris (sprained left ankle), Anthony Morrow (sore lower back) and Zaza Pachulia (sore right Achilles). They had already ruled Lou Williams (torn ACL right knee) out for the rest of the season.
Smith was 15 of 24 from the field on a night when the Hawks shot 49.4 percent from the field. Korver was 8 of 11 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
The Hawks also got 12 points and 15 rebounds from Ivan Johnson, and 10 points from Jeff Teague.
Charlotte, 10-32, has now lost three straight and eight of its last nine.
Ramon Sessions led the Bobcats with 27 points and Ben Gordon scored 15. But Kemba Walker, who scored a career-high 35 in a 100-94 loss to Houston on Monday, was held to 11.
The Hawks led 53-46 at halftime, after leading by as much as 10 in the first half. They shot 63.2 percent from the field in pulling out to a 28-20 lead after one, and wound up forcing 11 Charlotte turnovers in the half. Smith had 16 points at the break, Korver 12 on four 3-pointers.
Atlanta then pushed the lead to as many as 17 in the third quarter before settling for a 79-67 lead going into the fourth quarter. Charlotte never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
NOTES: This was the final game between the Southeast Division foes this season. The Hawks had won all three previous games -- 101-91 in Charlotte on Nov. 23, 94-91 in Atlanta on Nov. 28, and 113-90 in Atlanta on Dec. 13. ... Those three wins made it seven straight for the Hawks in the series, dating to April 2011. ... The Hawks were coming off a 104-96 win over Minnesota on Monday, when Horford had 28 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawks trailed by 18 in that game. ... The Hawks' last road win came on Jan. 1 at New Orleans. ... The Bobcats' last home win came on Nov. 21 over Toronto. The NBA record for most consecutive home losses is 19, set by the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks. ... The Hawks will return home to play Boston on Friday night. ... The Bobcats will close out their four-game homestand on Saturday night against Minnesota. ... Byron Mullens missed his 15th straight game for the Bobcats with a sprained left ankle, and there is no timetable for his return. ... Korver came into the game ranked third in the NBA in 3-point shooting (.450). He entered the night having made at least one 3-pointer in 35 straight games, and extended that streak, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.
