Hornets get served harsh lesson in close call vs. Hawks

Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo Ball | Brock Williams-Smith/GettyImagesThursday saw a tale of two halves for the Charlotte Hornets. After putting on a shooting clinic in the first half against the Atlanta Hawks, they nearly blew the win. It only showed that until the Hornets find a way to improve on defense, losses and frustration can continue to haunt them.

Charlotte had an impressive opening half, scoring 80 behind a franchise-record 18 3-pointers. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel combined for 12 of those makes. However, a porous defense helped the Hawks keep it close, as they put up 69 points of their own.

The Hornets' offense cooled off after halftime, failing to reach the 30-point…