ATLANTA – Trae Young scored 38 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame LaMelo Ball’s 34 points and a career-best nine 3-pointers to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 125-120 on Friday night.

Ball made 9 of 14 3-point shots, surpassing his previous career high of eight.

De’Andre Hunter added 24 points for Atlanta.

Charlotte never led, but even pulled away twice in the final third.

Ball scored 34 points in the Hornets’ 110-105 win at Houston on Wednesday to open the regular season. He equalized this number with his ninth 3-point throw with 7:31 minutes remaining.

The Hornets were missing two starters, including guard Brandon Miller. The team said Miller will miss at least a week with left glute strain. Center Mark Williams was sidelined by a strained tendon in his left foot.

Takeaways

Hornets: Despite missing two starters, Charlotte showed strength with four double-digit goals. Miles Bridges scored 27 points and Tre Mann had 17 points. Nick Richards had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Hawks: Young always provided baskets or big plays when the Hornets presented a challenge. With the game tied at 90, Young’s 3-pointer gave Atlanta the lead back. After a tying 3 from Charlotte’s Josh Green, Young responded with a short jumper.

Key moment

Ball went to the bench with his fifth foul with 6:50 left and returned to the court with 3:49 left. Just 15 seconds later, Ball was whistled for an offensive foul. The sixth foul was no secret, as Young immediately raised six fingers as Ball finally left the game.

Key statistics

After being outscored 28-16 in the first quarter, the Hornets scored 42 points in the second period and trailed just 62-58 at halftime. Ball scored 18 points during that period.

Next

The Hornets host Miami in their home opener on Saturday and the Hawks visit Oklahoma City on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba