Atlanta Hawks Survive Pelicans Rally, Win 121-115 in NOLA

The Atlanta Hawks wasted a 17 point fourth quarter lead, but survived a late rally by the New Orleans Pelicans to win their 6th consecutive game on Friday by a final score of 121-115.

The Atlanta Hawks controlled almost the entire game on Friday at New Orleans, at one point in the fourth quarter, led the Pelicans by as many as 17 points. That lead diminished quickly as the game drew to a close. Anthony Davis dominate the scoring column for the Pelicans on Friday, scoring 43 points and recording 10 rebounds. Davis’s play down the stretch gave the Pelicans a chance to make it a game.

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The New Orleans Pelicans tied the game with 4:24 remaining the game after a Ryan Anderson shot. After the Atlanta Hawks jumped out to a two-point lead, the Pelicans tied the game once again with 3:36 left at 108. That was the last time the game was knotted, as key free throws from Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague allowed the Hawks to pull away.

For the Atlanta Hawks, Kyle Korver was the star of the game. The veteran sharpshooter easily had his best game of the season thus far, scoring 22 points on 8-8 shooting. Korver was active the entire game, and was deadly from both long-range and mid-range. It’s encouraging to see Korver regaining his shot after struggling during the preseason and last week. 

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Paul Millsap also scored 22 points on the night, and recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. Jeff Teague added 19 points on the night, but only shot 5-16 from the field — most likely a product of Anthony Davis’s long shadow. Dennis Schroder came off the bench and added 15 points for the Atlanta Hawks. Friday’s game was the second consecutive contest in which Schroder has made three 3-pointers, tying a career high. With Schroder’s improved shooting ability, he becomes a legitimate scoring threat coming off the bench.

Justin Holiday once again saw significant minutes coming off the bench. Holiday (whose brother Jrue is the starting PG in New Orleans) played for 15 minutes and scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting. Both Holiday and Lamar Patterson played together at times, as Thabo Sefolosha did not dress on Friday. Once again, we did not see any of Tim Hardaway Jr. on the court. The Atlanta Hawks claim that Hardaway still is a big part of their plans, but that statement has yet to come to fruition in the early going of the season.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Take On Pelicans in NOLA

After recording their 6th consecutive win, and fourth road victory of the season, the Atlanta Hawks head home to friendly confines of Philips Arena to face-off against their Southeast Division rival, the Washington Wizards, in a rematch of last year’s hotly contested Eastern Conference Semifinals series.