The Atlanta Hawks saw their three-game winning-streak come to a halt against the New Orleans Pelicans at home, 116-103. To add insult to injury [no pun intended] Saddiq Bey left midway through the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. Bey was going up for a lay-up and got tangled with Trey Murphy III before falling to the ground in a heap. He did come back in the game to shoot his free throw’s, going 1 of 2 from the line, and was immediately subbed out.
Head Coach, Quin Snyder, said there were no immediate updates after the game and they will have to run tests to learn the full severity of the injury.
The Hawks had one of their rougher shooting nights on the season. They shot 41.8% from field overall, and 37 percent from three. Compared to the Pelicans, who shot 57.3% from the field overall and 51.9% from three. Atlanta was also dominated in the paint by a physical New Orleans team, who tallied 56 points to 38 from the Hawks. The Pelicans largest lead was 22 points.
Murphy III for the Pelicans finished with 28 points off the bench, hitting 6 three’s. Zion Williamson stuffed the stat-sheet with 27 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. It should be noted that Herb Jones played elite defense all night, primarily matching up with Hawks guard, Dejounte Murray.
Again, with Atlanta and their rough shooting, there was not much positive to this one. Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with a team-high 25 points, and went 7 of 15 from downtown. Clint Capela added in a another double-double, with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Murray, who was the focus of the defense, struggled from the field, going 7 of 20 overall and 4 of 10 from three. He finished with 23 points and 11 assists.
The injury bug has not been kind to the Hawks at all this season, and the team will try to piece together another rotation and starting line-up, as they head out on the road. Atlanta’s next five games will be out west against formidable opponents. The Hawks still hold a three-game advantage over the Brooklyn Nets, but it will be important for them to get some wins on the road.
Their next game will be against the Portland Trailblazers in Portland, with a late east coast tip-off of 10:00 p.m. This is perhaps their most ‘winnable’ game of this road trip, but nothing is given in the NBA.
