ATLANTA – Al Harrington scored 22 points, and Antoine Walker added 21 points and 11 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the expansion Charlotte Bobcats 103-95 on Saturday night in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s two worst teams.

The Hawks led 88-65 with 8:51 left to play, but had to survive a late scare as the Bobcats cut the lead to single digits in the final minute. Jason Hart scored 13 of his 19 points in the final period to lead the comeback attempt.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson used 10 players in the first quarter and maintained that heavy substitution pace through the game. The team’s flight after a Friday night loss in Boston arrived in Atlanta about 3 a.m.

And Hawks players were still talking about a rocky flight to Boston on Friday morning that Woodson said ranked among the worst he has endured as a player or coach.

The Hawks did not show signs of travel fatigue as they outrebounded the Bobcats 26-14 while taking a 56-42 halftime lead. Atlanta finished with a 53-33 advantage on the boards. Rookie Josh Smith had 10 rebounds, eight points and three blocked shots.

Kareem Rush had 15 points and was the Bobcats’ only starter to score in double figures. Keith Bogans had 13, and Jason Kapono added 10.

The Bobcats are 1-16 on the road, including an 0-12 mark against Eastern Conference teams.

Notes: The Hawks kept their concession stands open and invited fans to watch the Atlanta Falcons’ home NFL playoff game against St. Louis on the Philips Arena video board. … Charlotte’s Emeka Okafor, ranks fourth in the NBA with 23 double-doubles, had only four points and six rebounds. … Walker had his seventh straight double-double for Atlanta. … Charlotte C Jahidi White was not in uniform for the second straight game due to neck spasms. … Boris Diaw, who averaged only 3.9 points in 18 games as a starter for Atlanta, was the last player off the Hawks’ bench, coming into the game with 3:20 left to play.

AP-ES-01-15-05 2030EST