Hawks vs. Hornets score, highlights: Atlanta advances to next Play-In game after cruising past Charlotte

Jordan Greer

•
Hawks vs. Hornets score, highlights: Atlanta advances to next Play-In game after cruising past Charlotte image

At halftime of Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament game between the Hawks and Hornets, Atlanta held an eight-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, the contest was essentially over.

The Hawks outscored the Hornets 42-24 in the third, propelling them to a 132-103 victory. Trae Young scored 14 of his 24 points in the period, and De'Andre Hunter contributed 16 of his 22 points in that frame. In addition to Young and Hunter, Atlanta had four other players hit double-figures in the scoring department.

Charlotte had no answers defensively, and the backcourt duo of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier struggled on the other end. The starting guards shot a combined 15-of-47 from the field in the Hornets' loss. This is the second consecutive season in which Charlotte has been blown out in the Play-In Tournament.

Atlanta will next face Cleveland on Friday. The winner of that game will become the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket and play Miami in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Hawks vs. Hornets on Wednesday. Check out the complete results from the Play-In Tournament game.

Hawks vs. Hornets score

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
Hawks 32 28 42 30 132
Hornets 23 29 24 27 103

Hawks vs. Hornets live score, updates, highlights from NBA Play-In Game

(All times Eastern)

Final: Hawks 132, Hornets 103

9:35 p.m. — It's over. The Hawks will head to the next Play-In Game, and the Hornets will head into an uncertain offseason.

9:25 p.m. — Miles Bridges directs some strong language toward an official, and he gets ejected from the game midway through the fourth quarter. He heads to the locker room after scoring just 12 points in 30 minutes.

9:15 p.m. — This is a good summary of the second half.

End of third quarter: Hawks 102, Hornets 76

9 p.m. — The Hawks are one fire, and this is turning into a blowout.

8:55 p.m. — De'Andre Hunter is cooking the Hornets. He's got 16 points in the third quarter.

8:40 p.m. — Can Terry Rozier go full "Scary Terry" mode in the second half? He has drilled his last two jump shots. The Hornets really need him to find a rhythm if they want to close his gap.

8:35 p.m. — Yep, that's assist No. 7 for Trae Young.

Halftime: Hawks 60, Hornets 52

8:15 p.m. — A brutal shooting half for the stars of each team. LaMelo Ball and Trae Young combined to shoot 6-of-26 from the field. The difference has been the Hawks' supporting cast stepping up and taking advantage of the Hornets' poor defense.

8:10 p.m. — The Hornets really rolled out the red carpet for Danilo Gallinari.

8:05 p.m. — Trae Young can't seem to find his shot, but the passing is still on point.

7:55 p.m. — Here's a wild stat: Isaiah Thomas, who is listed at 5-9, has grabbed two offensive rebounds in three minutes off the bench.

End of first quarter: Hawks 32, Hornets 23

7:40 p.m. — Not a great start for LaMelo Ball. The second-year guard has missed three of his first four field goal attempts and picked up his second foul on silly reach-in.

7:35 p.m. — Clint Capela has been terrific so far. He already has seven points, five rebounds, one block and one steal.

7:30 p.m. — Oh my. What a pass by Trae Young.

7:20 p.m. — The Hornets are unsurprisingly firing from deep to start this game. Charlotte was a top-five team in 3-pointers made during the regular season.

What channel is Hawks vs. Hornets on?

  • Date: Wednesday, April 13
  • TV channel: ESPN (US), TSN (Canada)
  • Live stream: Watch ESPN (US), TSN Direct (Canada)

Hawks vs. Hornets will be broadcast live on ESPN. You can live-stream the game via Watch ESPN. In Canada, viewers can watch Hawks vs. Hornets on TSN.

Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. With the SLING Orange Sports Extra package, get $10 off your first month now with access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT and NBATV. NBA Playoff games on ABC are simulcast on ESPN3, which is included with SLING Orange, available for $35 per month including $25 the first month for new subscribers.

MORE: Watch the NBA playoffs on Sling TV (U.S. only)

In Canada, you can stream the game on TSN Direct.

Hawks vs. Hornets start time

  • Date: Wednesday, April 13
  • Start time: 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT

The 7 p.m. ET tipoff marks the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader. Spurs vs. Pelicans will be broadcast live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. ET.

How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?

  • The NBA Play-In Tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots. Teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the Play-In Tournament.
  • Each conference's Nos. 7 and 8 teams will face off, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
  • Each conference's Nos. 9 and 10 teams will face off, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
  • The loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game and the winner of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
  • Beyond the Play-In Tournament, the 2022 NBA Playoffs will follow the typical format, with full best-of-seven series all the way through the NBA Finals.

NBA Play-In Tournament schedule

April 12

Game
Nets 115, Cavaliers 108
Timberwolves 109, Clippers 104

April 13

Game Time (ET) National TV
Hornets vs. Hawks 7 p.m. ESPN
Spurs vs. Pelicans 9:30 p.m. ESPN

April 15

Game Time (ET) National TV
TBD vs. Cavaliers 7:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD vs. Clippers 10 p.m. TNT

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.