Hawks beat the Hornets 128-81 for the largest win in franchise history

Atlanta led by as many as 49 in Charlotte on Friday night as all five starters scored in double figures. The Hornets were booed off at halftime in their first home game since trading LaMelo Ball.

By Beat Chuck Basketball Desk / 2 sources / Published October 23, 2026

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Charlotte Hornets 128-81 on Friday night at Spectrum Center. The 47-point margin is the largest win in Hawks history, topping the 126-80 victory over Sacramento on Nov. 15, 2017, according to the Associated Press.
Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Aaron Wiggins also scored 19, going 7 for 9 off the bench, and all five starters reached double figures. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 14, CJ McCollum 13 and Dyson Daniels 11 to go with nine rebounds and seven steals.
Atlanta forced 14 turnovers in the first half and built a 25-point lead by the break. Charlotte finished with 27 turnovers, and the Hawks scored 25 points off them. The Hornets shot 34% from the field and 11 for 51 from 3-point range. The lead reached 49 in the fourth quarter.
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The Hawks moved the ball the whole night, finishing with 37 assists on 48 baskets. They also had 17 steals, outscored Charlotte 54-34 in the paint and won fast-break points 19-6. Atlanta shot 51% from the field and made 18 of 45 from 3, and Corey Kispert added 11 points in 10 minutes. Atlanta led for 96% of the game, and Charlotte's biggest lead was two points.
Naz Reid scored 17 to lead Charlotte. Brandon Miller, who signed a five-year, $209 million extension earlier this week, had six points on 2-for-14 shooting and went 1 for 11 from deep. He is 4 for 25 on 3-pointers through two games, per the AP.
It was Charlotte's first home game since it traded LaMelo Ball, and the sellout crowd of 19,524 booed the Hornets as they walked off at halftime. The Hornets were again without Kon Knueppel (hamstring), Coby White (calf) and Grant Williams (hamstring). Coach Charles Lee said before the game there was no timetable for their return.
Tidjane Salaun and Grayson Allen scored 11 each for Charlotte, and Ryan Kalkbrenner had six points and seven rebounds. The Hornets did win the offensive glass 19-12, but their 27 turnovers gave Atlanta far more extra possessions than that.
Atlanta is 2-0 and opens at home Saturday against Houston. Charlotte, now 1-1, hosts Miami on Saturday.

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