The Atlanta Hawks lost a close game to the Charlotte Hornets Friday night 100-96, but things could’ve been different.
Late in the fourth quarter Dwight Howard landed an elbow to Cody Zeller’s face and was assessed a flagrant 2 before being ejected from the game.
That lifted the crowd to rally behind the team for the eventual win who were behind until that moment.
Teammate Paul Millsap believes that was the turning point of the game for the Hornets.
“Plays like that are momentum shifts. It kind of sparked them. They took that and added fuel to the fire.”
Howard was playing big for the Hawks defending the paint and had 10 points to go along with 18 rebounds. The Hornets went on a nine-point run after the ejection to take the lead and never look back.
The Hawks center says the hit to the face was unintentional but he doesn’t apologize for it either.
“It wasn't like I tried to hit him in the face, but my job is to protect my house at all costs. I am making no apologies for it. I can't do nothing but live with it. It's basketball.”
The Hawks six-game win streak is broken and they resume playing Sunday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
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