Howard, who played for the Hawks last season, finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds. He hit 13 of 20 field-goal attempts, including multiple outside jumpers, and even made 7 of 8 free throws to lead the Hornets to their fourth consecutive win over Atlanta.

The Hawks' Taurean Prince got hot in the fourth quarter, connecting on four late 3-pointers to cut Charlotte's lead to 117-106 with three minutes to play. Prince led the Hawks with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and John Collins added 21 points and nine boards.

The Hornets answered with 3-pointers from Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker to finish off the Hawks. Walker scored 24 points, and Batum recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.

Charlotte led by 10 after the first quarter. The Hawks cut into the deficit in the second quarter and were down only 53-52 with 1:42 to play before halftime.

Howard fueled a late Hornets surge, hitting an outside jumper and throwing down a dunk, and Batum and Walker each sank 3-pointers to send Charlotte into halftime with a 63-55 lead.

The Hornets opened the third quarter with a 9-1 run and took a 97-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Dennis Schroder scored 17 points, and Damion Lee came off the bench to add 14 points for the Hawks.

Atlanta has been playing for the future for a while and has already been eliminated from playoff contention. The Hawks now embark on six-game road trip, beginning Saturday at Milwaukee. Next week, Atlanta will visit Golden State and Houston, the two top teams in the Western Conference.

The Hornets continue their five-game road trip at New York on Saturday before wrapping up at Philadelphia and Brooklyn next week.

--Field Level Media