The Atlanta Hawks ended the preseason with a whimper, dropping a 99-66 decision to the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hawks (2-5), who played what looked like a regular season game against LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Friday, gave their starters a bit of a breather in the exhibition finale. The Bobcats (4-4) had no problem taking advantage.
↵Charlotte outscored Atlanta 31-10 in the second quarter for the victory. Former Hawk Stephen Jackson lead all players with 21 points. Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas had 12 each for the Bobcats.
↵Joe Johnson played 17 minutes in this one and did not record a point. He lead all Hawks players with 27 points on Thursday. Jamal Crawford had 15 points and Al Horford chipped in 12 for Atlanta, which got an extended look at Jeff Teague.
↵Teague finished with eight points and dished three assists in at team-high 34 minutes. Josh Powell scored four points in 22 minutes for Atlanta, which did not dress Mike Bibby in the preseason finale.
↵Atlanta opens the season on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies before taking on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. The home opener is on Oct. 30 vs. the Washington Wizards.