Dwight Howard scored 20 of his season-high 33 points in the second half, Nicolas Batum had a triple-double and set a career high with 16 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 on Thursday night.
Kemba Walker added 24 points and Marvin Williams had 17 for Charlotte, which kept its slim playoff hopes alive. The Hornets began the night having lost six of seven and were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, 6 1 / 2 games behind No. 8 Miami with 13 games remaining.
Taurean Prince finished with 22 points and rookie John Collins tied a career high with 21 for Atlanta, the worst team in the East at 20-49.