The Atlanta Hawks edged the undermanned Charlotte Hornets 107-104 despite a season-high 17 points from Josh Green in a showdown with fellow Aussie Dyson Daniels.
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Green stepped up in LaMelo Ball’s absence with 17 points — the second-most of any Hornet behind Brandon Miller’s 32 points with seven threes.
The Aussie shot 6-of-12 from the field including 4-of-7 from downtown with three rebounds and three steals as a game-high +20 plus/minus in 36 minutes.
While the Hornets couldn’t close out the win at home, it was one of Green’s most impressive performances yet for Charlotte since being traded from Dallas in the off-season.
After a sluggish start offensively to life as a Hornet, the 25-year old, more renowned for his defence, has now scored in double figures in six of his last nine games.
Daniels meanwhile posted eight points with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 31 minutes, but the Hornets exposed the young gun’s outside shooting flaw.
Charles Lee’s team left Daniels wide open at the 3-point line to dare him to shoot, with the Aussie failing to capitalise by going 0-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Daniels went into the game shooting 31.9 per cent on threes on four attempts per game — an area Charlotte clearly wanted to test the Aussie and take advantage of a developing part of his game.
Sunday’s contest went down to the wire of the fourth quarter, with back-to-back threes from Brandon Miller and Vasilije Micic getting the Hornets within two points inside the last three minutes.
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With the scores tied inside the last minute, De’Andre Hunter scored sixed clutch points for Atlanta including capitalising off a costly Micic turnover with 20 seconds left to the put the Hawks up 101-99.
Miller hit a triple down the other end to give the Hornets a fighting chance. But Hunter nailed two free throws and Miller missed his next 3-point attempt — going 7-of-19 from downtown in total — to seal the win for Atlanta.
Jalen Johnson’s 20 points led five Hawks in double figures including a double-double from Onyeka Okongwu (16 points, 11 rebounds) off the bench as they won their third-straight game to creep closer to .500 at 10-11.
It meanwhile marked a fifth-straight loss for the 6-14 Hornets, who are missing Ball, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams and Grant Williams.
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