CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dwight Howard lost his cool, and the Atlanta Hawks lost a potentially key Eastern Conference game.Howard was ejected with 5:38 left and his team leading by three when he threw an elbow at the head of Charlotte center Cody Zeller and received a Flagrant-2 foul. The Hornets scored the next nine points -- seven by Kemba Walker -- and snapped Atlantas six-game winning streak with a 100-96 victory Friday night.Nic Batum had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Zeller matched his career high with 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting for the Hornets (8-3), who earned their biggest win of the season.Walker overcame a slow start to score 19 of his 21 points in the second half for his 10th straight 20-point game.Howard said afterward the contact wasnt intentional and he didnt think it cost his team the game.It wasnt like I tried to hit him in the face, but my job is to protect my house -- at all costs, said Howard, who finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds. I am making no apologies for it.Paul Millsap, who led the Hawks with 22 points and 13 rebounds, said the ejection fueled the home crowd.Plays like that are momentum shifts, Millsap said. It kind of sparked them. They took that and added fuel to the fire.The ejection revved up the crowd -- and apparently Walker, too.The 6-foot point guard drove baseline and made a reverse layup to give the Hornets the lead for good. Walker added another layup off a hesitation dribble and then connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to push the lead to six.Zeller said after the game he didnt think Howards elbow to the face was a dirty play.I have taken a lot of hard hits with two older brothers, Zeller said. I knew it was going to be a physical game. But it was a huge play in the game because they couldnt go to him late in the game and we went on a run.TIP-INSHawks: Howard had 11 rebounds at halftime, while the rest of the starting lineup had two combined. ... The Hawks shot just 3 of 17 from the field in the fourth quarter.Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did a nice job guarding Kyle Korver, limiting him to two points through the first three quarters. ... Jeremy Lamb was close to returning to the lineup but is still bothered by a hamstring injury.STRONG SECOND HALFWalker, who came in averaging 25.8 points per game -- the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference -- missed all seven of his shots from the field in the first half but was 8 of 13 the rest of the way.There wasnt anything different, Walker said. I was aggressive all night, I just stayed aggressive. At one point shots just werent falling for me like they have been lately. I stuck with it, my teammates just kept telling me `stay with it, its going to fall. I just tried to play the game and pick my spots and I was able to come up with some big plays.HORNETS COMEBACKSIn six of Charlottes eight wins the team has come back from 10 points down. Now, the Hornets have a busy stretch coming up with 18 games in 32 days.If were a good team, the kind of team we need to be, then we have to get on this plane with the right attitude and find a way to play a good game tomorrow night on the road and win, coach Steve Clifford said. Thats what the good teams do.SUPPORTING DWIGHTKorver threw his support behind Howard after the game.Hes just kind of a safety net for us, Korver said. Hes back there with all that size, I think he had 18 rebounds tonight, and hes back there to protect the paint. Thats his job. Thats what hes great at.UP NEXTHawks: Travel to New York to face the Knicks on Sunday afternoon.Hornets: Head out on the road to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Saturday night. Carter Hart Jersey .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. Samuel Morin Flyers Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. http://www.nhlflyersproauthentic.com/samuel-morin-hockey-jersey/ . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Brian Elliott Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. James Van Riemsdyk Flyers Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. CHASKA, Minn. -- Rosters for the 41st Ryder Cup matches, to be played Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Hazeltine National. The United States still has one more captains pick to make on Sunday night:EUROPECaptain: Darren ClarkeRafa Cabrera Bello, SpainMatt Fitzpatrick, EnglandSergio Garcia, Spainc-Martin Kaymer, GermanyRory McIlroy, Northern Irelandc-Thomas Pieters, BelgiumJustin Rose, EnglandHenrik Stenson, SwedenAndy Sullivan, Engglandc-Lee Westwood, EnglandDanny Willett, EnglandChris Wood, England---UNITED STATESCaptain: Davis Love IIIc-Rickie Fowlerc-J.ddddddddddddB. HolmesDustin JohnsonZach JohnsonBrooks Koepkac-Matt KucharPhil MickelsonPatrick ReedBrandt SnedekerJordan SpiethJimmy Walker---c(equals)captains pick ' ' '