Howard pushes Hornets past Hawks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dwight Howard couldn’t suppress a wide smile when asked if he gained any personal satisfaction from his performance Friday night against his former Atlanta teammates.

“Uh, yeah,” Howard said with a laugh. “I just wanted to go out there and dominate — and that has to be my mentality every night.”

Kemba Walker scored 26 points, and Howard was a major force inside with 20 points and 15 rebounds in his first home game with Charlotte as the Hornets rallied to beat the Hawks 109-91.

Dennis Schroder had 25 points to lead Atlanta.

The Hornets trailed by 20 points in the first half, but they used a 24-0 run in the third quarter to blow the game open.

“It was something special tonight, and I’m glad we stepped up in the second half and got a good win,” Howard said.

Howard, who played last season for his hometown Hawks before being traded away one year after signing a three-year, $71 million contract, was unstoppable on the block. The 6-foot-11 eight-time AllStar used his strength to get great position down low and had his pick of shots close to the basket. The Hawks had nobody who could guard him consistently.

Howard punctuated the win by grabbing an offensive rebound with an outstretched hand and then elevating for a powerful two-handed dunk that brought the crowd to its feet with four minutes left. Howard left to a rousing ovation with 2:10 remaining in the game.

Charlotte turned the ball over 15 times in a sloppy first half and trailed 56-49 at the break. But the game changed with 6:32 left in the third quarter. Down nine, the Hornets held the Hawks scoreless for nearly six minutes while rattling off 24 straight points and never trailed again.