The Charlotte Hornets lost their home opener 128-81 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at Spectrum Center, a 47-point defeat in front of a sellout crowd of 19,524.
The margin tied for the fourth-largest loss in Hornets history and was the largest win in Hawks history, according to the Hornets. The team said Charlotte's 81 points were its fewest in a game since February 2020.
Charlotte's last lead was 9-7, on a layup by forward Naz Reid with 8:55 left in the first quarter. Atlanta answered with a 20-3 run and led 33-20 after one. The Hawks then scored 18 straight points across halftime, closing the first half on a 12-0 run and opening the third quarter with six more for a 74-43 lead. The Hornets went 8 minutes, 33 seconds without a point until Reid scored with 8:05 left in the third. Atlanta's lead reached 49, at 128-79, in the final minute.
The Hornets made 11 of 51 3-point attempts and committed 27 turnovers. Atlanta had 17 steals, seven of them by Dyson Daniels, and 37 assists.
"I think it was a good learning experience for our entire group tonight," Hornets coach Charles Lee said. He said he felt there were "a lot of self-inflicted wounds."
Brandon Miller, the second pick in the 2023 NBA draft, scored six points on 2-of-14 shooting and missed 10 of his 11 3-point attempts. He has made 9 of 35 shots in two games. Lee said he had "the utmost confidence" Miller would make more of them as the season goes on.
Reid led Charlotte with 17 points. Grayson Allen and Tidjane Salaün scored 11 each off the bench. Jalen Johnson and Aaron Wiggins scored 19 apiece for Atlanta, and Johnson added seven rebounds and eight assists.
"They were being physical, they were being aggressive, and they were picking us up really high," said Sion James, who had five of Charlotte's 21 assists. "Whether it was by 47 or by one, we lost the game."
The Hornets again played without guard Coby White and forward Kon Knueppel, who set the franchise's single-season record for 3-pointers as a rookie last season. Grant Williams and Kylan Boswell were also out. "We can't make excuses for who is on the floor, who is off the floor," Lee said.
Asked about boos from the home crowd, Lee said, "You've got to be able to play better basketball. That's not something that we can control. They are fans." He added, "We totally respect it."
The Hornets (1-1) play the Miami Heat at 6 p.m. Saturday at Spectrum Center, the second game of a back-to-back.
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