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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Baron Davis knew the Atlanta Hawks lacked confidence. He could see it in their eyes.
|  | | A "hungry" Baron Davis scored 20 points and helped set the Hornets' aggressive tone. |
Davis scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Charlotte Hornets beat Atlanta 106-82 Tuesday night and spoil the NBA debut of Hawks coach Lon Kruger.
"I was hungry tonight," said Davis, the No. 3 overall pick out of UCLA last year. "It helps, because you get your first win. That's important, for everybody has anticipation at the start."
Jamal Mashburn led Charlotte with a game-high 23 points.
In a game marked more by who was sidelined than by who dressed,
the Hawks were without centers Dikembe Mutombo, Lorenzen Wright and Cal Bowdler and guard Dion Glover, all out with various injuries and illnesses.
The Hornets, despite missing forwards Derrick Coleman, Terrance Roberson and Lee Nailon, scored 18 straight points in the first
quarter, a run that led to their biggest first-half lead, 26-8, on
two free throws by Eldridge Recasner.
"We've got Mash, who can do just about anything," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "And B.D., I think he's maturing as a player."
Atlanta fought back to take a 61-60 lead on a 14-foot lean-in by journeyman guard Larry Robinson, who came off the bench to score 21 points, with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter.
Charlotte, though, went on an 11-0 run that culminated with two
free throws by P.J. Brown, who pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
The Hornets finished with a 44-29 advantage on the boards.
"I thought our guys battled," Kruger said. "I think fatigue
set in a little bit. Charlotte's awfully good. They started hurting
us inside on the boards."
Alan Henderson led the Hawks with 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting.
Jim Jackson, expected to the Hawks' leading scorer, went 4-for-20 from the field before leaving midway through the fourth
quarter.
"We were still in the ballgame, regardless of what the stats
looked like," said guard Jason Terry, who finished with four points on 2-for-7 shooting. "We were in the game in the third
quarter and we didn't get that momentum. Once that momentum built
up, we couldn't really stop them."
The Hawks lost 24 of their last 30 games last season to finish
28-54, the worst record in franchise history.
Charlotte's David Wesley, who scored 18 points, handed out a game-high six assists.
Game notes
The Hawks are wearing a black stripe on their uniform in
memory of Gary Wortman, the director of scouting who died of a
brain tumor Oct. 23, after nine seasons in Atlanta. ... Hanno
Mottola, the Hawks' second-round draft pick out of Utah, became the
first Finnish native to play in an NBA regular-season game. Mottola
started at center. ... The Hornets won three of four from the Hawks
last season, including a 32-point victory in the last meeting,
April 12 at Charlotte. ... Atlanta dropped to 18-15 in home
openers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 106
Atlanta 82
Cleveland 86
New Jersey 82
Orlando 97
Washington 86
Dallas 97
Milwaukee 93
Philadelphia 101
New York 72
Detroit 104
Toronto 95
Sacramento 100
Chicago 81
Minnesota 106
Houston 98
San Antonio 98
Indiana 85
Utah 107
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 96
Phoenix 94
LA Lakers 96
Portland 86
Vancouver 94
Seattle 88
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jamal Mashburn drives into the paint for the score.
avi: 365 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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