The Eastern Conference matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks featured the returns of Trae Young and LaMelo Ball, and the action was electric. The Hornets and Hawks traded early blows before one sequence snapped the game open. Early in the second quarter, Brandon Miller delivered a poster over Hawks defender Vit Krejci, sending the arena into chaos. One turnover. One outlet. One violent finish. Charlotte fed off it instantly. The records—Hornets at 8–18, Hawks at 15–12—vanished in the noise. The dunk rewired the game and flipped momentum hard against the Hawks.

The play unfolded fast. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels turned it over. Hornets center Moussa Diabate scooped it up and launched a blazing pass ahead. Miller caught it in stride and exploded. Vit Krejci stepped up late. Miller went through him anyway. The poster ignited the Hornets bench and drew a technical foul when Brandon Miller appeared to shove Krejci away on another angle of the play. The crowd roared louder. The Hornets surged ahead by seven after the sequence and never fully let go, stretching the lead into double digits as confidence spread across the floor.

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A complete night for the Hornets

Brandon Miller backed the moment with production. He finished with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, buried 4-of-7 from three, and went 4-of-5 at the line. The box score reflected his full impact, with five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block. Control came naturally. Space disappeared quickly. Another jolt arrived when LaMelo Ball returned to action and floated a perfect alley-oop that Miller hammered home, keeping the energy surging.

The Hawks tried to rally late but the Hornets closed the job. Charlotte defeated Atlanta 133–126, securing back-to-back wins after taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers in their previous outing.

With the win, the Hornets improve to 9–18, sitting No. 12 in the East. The Hawks drop to 15–13, now No. 9. One poster did not decide a season. But it decided the night. And it left one question echoing under the lights. How high is Brandon Miller willing to fly next?