Hawks Struggle in 105-73 Loss to Pelicans
By Brad Rowland
Oct 13, 2013; Biloxi, MS, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer talks to referee Michael Smith during the second half of their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Pelicans won 105-73. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Yikes.
The city of Biloxi (in all of its NBA glory) wasn’t entirely kind to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, as the team dropped a 32-point decision at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. The game wasn’t televised live in Atlanta, so that’s a “win”, but otherwise the positives were few and far between.
Al Horford and Paul Millsap were the lone double-figure scorers, and only Horford had a stellar game. The team’s best player finished with 21 points (on 9 for 12 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 27 minutes, but the Hawks still struggled mightily even when he was on the floor.
Most of the struggles on Sunday afternoon can be directly attributed to shooting woes, and few were immune to this issue. Jeff Teague (1 for 8) and Kyle Korver (1 for 7) were the biggest culprits, as Teague was woeful throughout the day (6 turnovers in 18 minutes) and Korver simply couldn’t straighten out his shot (0 for 6 from 3-point distance). Better days are certainly ahead for the starting backcourt, however, and this can be considered a throwaway.
On the fringe of the rotation/roster, Pero Antic and Jared Cunningham had the best days. Antic knocked down two three-pointers (he’s definitely going to be getting shots up, from all indications), and Cunningham finished with 7 points in 17 minutes. We didn’t learn a ton about the potential rotation in this game, or really any info on roster cuts (other than that we all assume Adonis Thomas is headed out first), but stay tuned in this space for updates.
Wholly, this was kind of a mess, but mostly an inconsequential one. The team returns home for three preseason games in the next 10 days, as they take on the Spurs, Pacers, and Grizzlies (in that order) in an effort to tune things up. Keep it locked right here for all your info!