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Hawks Shoot 8-of-46 From Deep as Pelicans Roll to 121-99 Win
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- Hawks Shoot 8-of-46 From Deep as Pelicans Roll to 121-99 Win
(Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
The Atlanta Hawks went 8-of-46 from 3-point range Saturday night at Smoothie King Center and lost 121-99 to the New Orleans Pelicans .
New Orleans led by as many as 28 points. Atlanta fell to 3-4 with its fourth loss in five games, two nights after a 114-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena.
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The Pelicans moved to 2-4 with their second straight win after an 0-4 start. They had lost their previous four meetings with the Hawks.
New Orleans Scores 35 in the First Quarter
Atlanta's only lead came 41 seconds in, when Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished a fast-break layup off a CJ McCollum steal. Herbert Jones tied it on a cut to the rim. At the 9:52 mark, Jeremiah Fears scored in transition after a Karlo Matković steal, and New Orleans never trailed again.
The Hawks shot 6-of-21 in the first quarter and turned it over 8 times. New Orleans scored 16 points off those turnovers. It also outscored Atlanta 22-8 in the paint in the period, and Saddiq Bey had 8 points off the bench before Jones beat the buzzer with a 12-foot floater for a 35-18 lead.
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Hawks coach Quin Snyder said the schedule has not allowed Atlanta to get in the gym and practice. Saturday was the Hawks' third game in four nights.
"We haven't started the game well from an execution standpoint," Snyder said. "I think we're putting ourselves in tough positions offensively, and tonight that resulted in turnovers which were really tough to defend against."
Atlanta got 20 points in the paint in the second quarter and outscored New Orleans 30-28. Dyson Daniels contributed 6 points in the quarter, with two of his baskets coming in the final minute, but Atlanta was still behind 63-48 at halftime.
The Pelicans pushed their lead to 20 twice in the third quarter. Trey Murphy III got it there with a pullup at the 6:14 mark, and Bey did the same with a jumper just 28 seconds later. By the end of the period, Atlanta had cut the deficit to 92-74.
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McCollum Leads Seven Hawks in Double Figures
McCollum scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in his first game in New Orleans since the Pelicans traded him to the Washington Wizards in June 2025. According to The Associated Press, fans applauded while a Pelicans-produced tribute video for McCollum played on the videoboards. He went 2-of-5 from 3-point range.
Seven Hawks scored in double figures. Jalen Johnson and Asa Newell had 13 apiece, Kingston Flemings and Alexander-Walker each scored 12, Luguentz Dort finished with 11, and Aaron Wiggins added 10.
Alexander-Walker missed all 7 of his attempts from beyond the arc but made all 6 of his free throws. Dort made just 1 of his 7 attempts from 3-point range, while Wiggins connected on 2 of 7. Onyeka Okongwu also struggled with his shot, missing all 5 of his attempts from deep and going 3-of-12 from the field. He finished with 6 points and 10 rebounds while picking up 5 fouls.
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Bey led New Orleans with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting in 25:54 off the bench. Fears had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Murphy and Zion Williamson scored 15 each. Matković went 2-of-2 from 3 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Pelicans shot 56.6% from the field and outrebounded Atlanta 49-36. Their 66 points in the paint topped the Hawks' 52.
Johnson and Landale Exit, Flemings Ejected
Jock Landale played 1:22 off the bench in the first quarter before leaving with a hip injury, and he did not return. Newell took the backup center minutes and scored all 13 of his points after halftime.
Johnson played the full third quarter and did not appear in the fourth. The Hawks listed him as questionable to return with a left ankle injury. He finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27:56.
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Snyder's priority, no matter who is on the floor, is a more connected group.
"Hopefully both those guys are going to be okay and not be out for too long, we'll know more about that tomorrow and beyond," Snyder explained.
Flemings' night ended with 3:04 remaining in the fourth quarter when he received a technical foul and was ejected. The sequence started when Bryce McGowens blocked Flemings' layup attempt, followed by Murphy catching an alley-oop from Williamson on the other end to put New Orleans ahead 119-93. According to the AP, Flemings elbowed McGowens in the face, leading to a brief scrum before officials reviewed the video and decided to eject him. Julian Reese, who was on the floor for New Orleans, received a technical foul during the same stoppage.
Flemings finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in 24:39. Snyder said this week that he likes the way Flemings competes.
The Hawks continue a three-game road trip Monday against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
