Hot Hornets Top Hawks

April 25, 1998 / 11:57 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Charlotte's Anthony Mason wasn't talking after the game Saturday night. He had already made quite a statement with what he did to the Atlanta Hawks.

Mason helped the Hornets overcome the absence of top offensive threat Glen Rice in the fourth quarter by leading Charlotte to a 92-85 victory, giving the Hornets their first two-game postseason winning streak since 1993.

"Mason is an animal," Rice said. "That guy can pretty much take over a game whenever he wants to. He had a great, great game tonight."

With Rice sitting on the bench with his fifth foul, Mason teamed with David Wesley to power a 13-3 run that sent the Hornets to a 2-0 lead over Atlanta in their best-of-5 playoff series. Mason had nine points and Wesley four in the surge, which put the Hornets up by 10 with 2:37 left.

"One guy's out and others pick it up. That's what you've got to do," Wesley said. "What Mase did there in the fourth quarter was really impressive."

Mason finished with 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting and added seven rebounds to help give Charlotte an imposing edge as the series shifts to Atlanta for the third game Tuesday night. Just five teams in NBA history have rebounded from 2-0 deficits to win a best-of-5 series. The last was the Denver Nuggets in 1994.

"I think it can happen," said Atlanta's Dikembe Mutombo, the center on the 1994 Denver team, when asked about the Hawks' chances of rallying to win the series. "It depends on if each one of us can go out and play as a team."

Rice finished with 24 points and a season-high 13 rebounds and Wesley added 18 points and six assists for the Hornets in a physical game peppered with 52 personal fouls. By the time it ended, Atlanta's Christian Laettner had fouled out and nine other players had at least three personals.

"We can't worry about the little things. If the ref doesn't make the call, you just have to go out and play," Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens said. "Now is the time to show some character."

This is Charlotte's fourth playoff appearance, and success had come only in bits and pieces until now. The last time the Hornets won two consecutive playoff games was in the franchise's first postseason appearance during the first round against the Boston Celtics in 1993.

"These guys really believe in themselves right now," Hornets coach Dave Cowens said. "It's a joy to watch and a joy to coach."

The Hawks continued to struggle after having four double-digit victories over Charlotte in as many regular-season games.

"We're just not executing our offense," Wilkens said. "We're settling for one or two things. We need to get through situations and make people move."

Mutombo and Laettner spent much of the game in foul troble, and Steve Smith, who had 35 points in the opener, had 22 on Saturday night. But just nine of those came in the second half.

Alan Henderson added 22 points and Mookie Blaylock had 13 assists for the Hawks, who were held to 42-percent shooting and went more than three minutes without a field goal during the decisive run.

"I don't think anybody on this club is very happy right now with what we've accomplished," said Mutombo, who played just 26 minutes and had four points, nine rebounds and no blocked shots. "We've got to find a way to motivate ourselves as a team and as individuals."

There were three lead changes and three ties in the fourth quarter before Mason hit a 9-footer in the lane to give Charlotte a 75-73 edge with 5:46 left. The Hornets stripped the ball from Henderson on the other end, setting up a fast-break layup by Wesley that gave Charlotte its biggest lead to that stage.

Rice came back with 4:08 left and added two rebounds, and Charlotte finished off the surge on a three-point play by Mason that made it 86-76 with 2:37 left.

The Hawks got no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Atlanta built a five-point lead before Mutombo and Laettner picked up their fourth fouls midway through the third quarter. By the time the period ended, Charlotte had tied the score and Laettner, who stayed in, had been assessed personal No. 5.

Notes: Pulled muscles continued to be a problem for Charlotte's frontcourt. Center Matt Geiger, who had sat out five games with a hamstring pull, played five minutes in the first half, didn't score and didn't return. And J.R. Reid, the Hornets' top backup at power forward, left in the second quarter with a groin pull and did not return. ... ... Atlanta fell to 41-7 when tied or leading after three quarters. ... The Hornets improved to 40-2 when they outshoot their opponents.

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