The Atlanta Hawks have shown they can win no matter the location and who is missing from the lineup.Atlanta plays seven of its next eight games on the road starting with Friday nights early-season Southeast Division showdown against the Charlotte Hornets.Playing without center Dwight Howard and key reserve Thabo Sefolosha, the Hawks stretched their streak to six games with a 107-100 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday after winning at Miami the previous night.Both could be back to face the Hornets, who are coming off a 115-108 victory at Minnesota on Tuesday.With the back-to-back games, the Hawks didnt practice on Thursday in Atlanta, meaning there was no injury update and Howards status might not be known until shortly before the opening tip.Howard, who was walking without a noticeable limp after Wednesdays win, suffered a left quad contusion when kneed by Heat center Hassan Whiteside in the third quarter of the victory at Miami.There has been a positive response, positive progress, coach Mike Budenholzer said Wednesday.Mike Muscala scored 16 points while filling in for Howard against the Bucks and the bench, led by Tim Hardaway Jr., still made a major contribution despite the absence of veteran Sefolosha, who sat out with a mild knee sprain.Muskie continues to play really well, Budenholzer said. Its interesting for him to play (33) minutes. Its a good thing the game ended at 48 (minutes). He gave us all he had.The victory coupled with a Cleveland loss tied the Hawks for the best record in the Eastern Conference at 9-2 and gave them their best start to a season since they were 11-2 in 2009-10.The Hornets have the third best record in the East at 7-3 after overcoming a 12-point halftime deficit at Minnesota with a 36-17 third-quarter blitz after coach Steve Clifford gave the team a tongue-lashing at the break.It was perfect timing, and we needed it, Hornets guard Kemba Walker after the game. We just (werent) ourselves, and he got into us a little bit. It worked out for us, because we needed to pick our energy up.Walker, averaging 25.8 points, scored 30 against Minnesota and also had six assists, five rebounds and five steals.The Hawks won three of the four games against the Hornets last season, including two in the first week of the season by a combined five points. The lone win by the Hornets came at Charlotte in January when Walker hit 4 of 6 3-pointers en route to 23 points.The Hornets havent received the regular bench play to match the Hawks this season, but Frank Kaminsky had 20 points against Minnesota. The Hornets were hoping Jeremy Lamb might return against Atlanta after missing seven games with a strained hamstring but announced Thursday he will not play.The Hawks have shot 50 percent while winning by an average of 10 points during their streak, and had 29 assists on 35 baskets against the Bucks. Taking care of the basketball, though, remains an issue.The Hawks have had as many as 24 turnovers in a game and committed 16 against Milwaukee after 19 at Miami.Its a bad trend that you have to take note of, Budenholzer said. We play with a lot of freedom, with a lot of ball movement. So if thats what you embrace, there may some more margin for error. But I think weve taken that margin to an extreme and I think everybody wants to reduce it. If we can do that, it will help us significantly. Swell Bottle Cheap . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Swell Water Bottle Clearance . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. http://www.swellbottlesale.com/ .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Marble Water Bottle Cheap . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Swell Bottle Wood . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville.NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators have signed defenceman Mikko Vainonen to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Predators announced the deal Friday. Vainonen, 19, spent his first season with the Kingston Frontenacs in the CHL, and the native of FFinland was fourth among defencemen with 22 points.ddddddddddddHe also was the captain of Finlands team at the 2012 U-18 World Championships. He was the Predators sixth selection in the 2012 draft at No. 118 overall in the fourth round. ' ' '