Trae Young made his long-awaited return to the floor for the Hawks, suiting up for the first time in 22 games. While he was back in the starting lineup-sending Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the bench-head coach Quin Snyder made it clear before tipoff: Young would be on a minutes restriction. But even a limited Young brings a different dynamic to Atlanta’s offense, especially in the pick-and-roll.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, the game didn’t start with much rhythm-at least not for them. Charlotte came out flying, ripping off an 8-0 run that forced Snyder to burn an early timeout.
But the regroup didn’t do much to slow the Hornets down. Their ball movement was crisp, decisive, and multiple steps ahead of Atlanta’s defense on nearly every possession.
Charlotte built a 24-9 lead before the Hawks could settle in.
Once the initial storm passed, Atlanta finally started to find its footing. The defense was still scrambling more than you'd like, but offensively, they began to trade buckets with the Hornets.
And with Young back in the mix, the pick-and-roll game looked sharper-he still has that innate feel for manipulating defenses and creating space. After one quarter, the Hawks had trimmed the deficit to 37-32.
But the second quarter? That was a gut punch.
Atlanta’s offense sputtered, leading to transition opportunities for Charlotte-and they took full advantage. The Hawks’ bench struggled to get organized defensively, losing track of shooters and allowing the Hornets to rain down open threes.
It was a stretch where everything that could go wrong, did. Charlotte stretched the lead, threatening to blow the game wide open.
The only thing keeping Atlanta within striking distance at halftime was a scoring burst from Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the final minutes of the second quarter. His energy and shot-making gave the Hawks a much-needed jolt, narrowing the gap to 80-69 at the break.
Still, the third quarter wasn’t much prettier. Atlanta’s defense continued to be a step slow, and Charlotte kept finding ways to capitalize.
But here’s the twist-the Hawks were still hanging around. Despite the defensive breakdowns, they entered the fourth quarter trailing just 107-95.
Not ideal, but not insurmountable.
Enter Jalen Johnson.
On his 24th birthday, Johnson played like a man on a mission. Charlotte had no answer for his blend of strength and speed-he attacked the rim with purpose, bullied defenders in the paint, and flirted with a triple-double. By the early stages of the fourth, he was closing in on a 30-10-10 stat line, and more importantly, he had pulled Atlanta back into the fight.
With the lead cut to four, what once looked like a blowout turned into a real game.
But down the stretch, the little things-those 50/50 plays that decide tight games-started to tilt Charlotte’s way. Loose balls, deflections, contested rebounds-the Hornets found ways to win the margins.
Even as the Hawks trimmed the deficit to three points multiple times in the final three minutes, Charlotte kept answering. Every time Atlanta threatened to take control, the Hornets had a counter.
In the end, the comeback fell just short. Atlanta dropped this one, 133-126.
Still, there were silver linings. Johnson was nothing short of spectacular, dropping a career-high 43 points to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists-a monster performance on his birthday. Alexander-Walker, despite being shifted to a bench role, responded with 28 points, seven boards, and a couple of assists.
The loss stings, no doubt. But with Young back in the mix and Johnson taking another leap, the Hawks have pieces to build on. Now it’s about tightening the defense, cleaning up the transition lapses, and turning these near-misses into wins.