New Orleans Pelicans defeat the Atlanta Hawks, ending their win streak at 19 games 115-100.
By Rick Stone
The New Orleans Pelicans faced a tall task tonight, attempting to win their sixth game out of the past seven as they faced off against the Atlanta Hawks, who rode a 19-game win streak coming into the game.
Mission: Accomplished
The Pelicans rode a hot shooting night and a superb team defensive effort to win against the red hot Hawks 115-100. Anthony Davis stole the spotlight once again with 29 points, 13 rebounds, eight offensive rebounds and two blocks. Eric Gordon also reached 20 points at the end of the night. Jeff Teague put up 21 points to lead the Hawks in scoring.
Other Observations:
- The first half couldn’t have gone better for the Pelicans. New Orleans shot 47.6% from the field and took advantage of converting 11-12 free throw attempts, while holding the hot Hawks to just 37.8% shooting and an ugly 2-14 from behind the three-point line. Fantastic first half. No other way to put it.
- The rebounding battle was a one-sided affair tonight. The Pelicans outrebounded the Hawks 52-32. The length and athleticism of the bigs for New Orleans proved lethal for the Hawks, especially with Atlanta’s rough shooting night overall.
- One of the interesting storylines of the game was the DNP of Alexis Ajinca. There had been a few games of big numbers from Ajinca, including the Pelicans last win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Monty’s rotations are interesting to say the least. Will be interesting when Ajinca will be back on the floor.
- One of the biggest takeaways from this game: New Orleans moved the ball just like the Hawks have during their win streak. The Pelicans racked up 30 assists on the night. That kind of ball movement is how teams get on big winning streaks and separate themselves from the rest of the league like Atlanta. Maybe New Orleans can take that nugget from tonight and start their own streak.
- The Pelicans will look to continue to win big games as they go into a huge home-and-home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, starting Wednesday back in New Orleans. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM CST.
To finish, let’s take a moment to realize what the Hawks did on their 19-game win streak, and just how amazing the Pelicans played to end what was an unreal streak of basketball: