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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. Cheap Old Skool . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Discount Old Skool . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.cheapoldskoolchina.com/ . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Old Skool Clearance . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Wholesale Old Skool . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday.PHILADELPHIA -- Whoever Chip Kelly chooses to be the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback may have plenty of success by doing one simple thing: handing the ball to LeSean McCoy. While Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Matt Barkley will get most of the attention during training camp, McCoy could be the most important part of Philadelphias offence. The 25-year-old running back is looking to get back to his All-Pro form of 2011. "I want to be more dominant," McCoy said. "The last few years Ive had good years, but I want to be dominant. I think in this offence, theres the ability to run the ball more, where I can really take over a game. There have been flashes of it in the past, but having the ability to do it day in and day out, game in and game out, I think thats a different story." The Eagles held their first full squad practice Friday, and the pads will be on for the first time Sunday when the team moves across the street to Lincoln Financial Field and welcomes in 60,000 fans. They might be treated to an unfamiliar sight if Kelly emphasizes the run game, as expected. Its no secret that former Eagles coach Andy Reid had a pass-first philosophy. The offence ran the ball just 38.2 per cent of the time last year. Their highest average during McCoys first four seasons was 43.4 per cent in 2011. Thats when McCoy had 1,309 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl. But Reid is now in Kansas City teaching his version of the West Coast offence. Kelly has a unique offensive system of his own. He prefers an up-tempo style centred on moving quickly, running a lot of plays and keeping defences off-balance. At Oregon, Kellys offence averaged 44.7 points in four years. The Ducks ran the ball at least 61.7 per cent of the time during those four seasons. "Chip has shown that he runs the ball a lot, so I think thats the difference," McCoy said. "I want to get back to that old stage where Im taking over a game. I think with all the talent and supporting cast around me, that should be easy. With the offence around me, theres not as much pressure where you have to do everything. There are certain guys on different teams where if they dont play well, their team doesnt do well, and with the Eagles that isnt the case." The Eagles have several playmakers on offence, including two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jacksson, wideouts Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant and tight end Brent Celek.dddddddddddd Tight ends are a key part of Kellys offence, so he added free agent James Casey and rookie second-round pick Zach Ertz. Running backs Bryce Brown and Felix Jones give the offence even more options. "That helps me out a little bit, but as a competitor I want to be one of those guys in the offence where in the fourth quarter, I want the ball," McCoy said. "I want that type of attitude, and the type of person Coach Kelly is, he has that attitude also. It makes us more dominant as a team if each guy has that attitude and wants the ball and is willing to make plays. You dont know where to go as a defence." So whether Vick, Foles or even Barkley end up behind centre for the season opener at Washington on Sept. 9, the Eagles have the foundation for a dynamic offence. "I think well be dangerous," McCoy said. "I think we have potential to make some big noise. I think the biggest thing with this offence is it gets you in open space. Were constantly going. Foot on the gas, were constantly going. I think when teams are getting tired and thinking about defensive strategies, were gone. Were pushing it, high-tempo. I think it will be good for us, and the good thing now with this team, we finally have more depth, especially at running back." Nothing went right for Philadelphia last season when they finished 4-12. Injuries were a problem for the offence. Only one offensive lineman finished the season, McCoy missed four games, Jackson sat out the last five and Vick got hurt before losing his job to Foles. Its a new year, of course, and theres a ton of excitement surrounding the team with Kelly on board. "The skys the limit, not only Maclin and me, but McCoy, Celek, (Jason) Avant," Jackson said. "Its just from A to Z, I think its a big difference. Nothing bad to say about Coach Reids offence and his system and Marty Mornhinweg, but just the way Chip Kellys coming in with (offensive co-ordinator) Pat Shurmur and things like that. I just think theyve installed something very good here so were very excited. I think everything is going to take off real fast." Taking off fast could mean keeping the ball on the ground. "I think that our running game should be second to none," lineman Todd Herremans said. ' ' '