Official Game Thread: Pelicans at Hawks (6 PM Tip!)

[lethalweapon3]

“Whoops! Thought that Hawks logo was like those cookie joints I see in the food court at the mall. Not even gingerbread, man!”

 

No, but seriously, can we all take the New Orleans Pelicans seriously, now?

You’ll forgive my Daylight Savings Time brevity this morning, as the two hottest-streaking teams in the NBA (no… seriously!) face off this evening in Atlanta (6 PM Eastern, CORRECTION! PEACHTREE TV / THE CW ATL and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS NO). We already know the answer when it comes to our dear one-step-forward Hawks.

But I have frequently claimed, if you squint real hard at the Pelicans, you can find a Western Conference contender in there. The girth in the paint, in a good way, is there. The all-seasons bucket-getter is there. The perimeter shooters are there. The utility-knife defender is there. The water bug guard off the bench, there. Veteran health? There. The Pels (38-25, 5^th in NBA West) are like a jar of Prego. It’s in there!

Oh, and there’s room for leading scorer Zion Williamson to sprinkle as much parmesan on top of Old Smoky as he chooses. Okay, seriously, I meant to say spaghetti. Don’t lose that meatball!

New Orleans is nestled among the top ten in rebounding percentage at both ends, top ten in efficiency at both ends, top-ten in forcing turnovers, and number-one in perimeter defense (34.4 opponent 3FG%). They’re a spiffy 20-13 in away games, 12-4 since January 31. They are on-pace to be the best team ever in that town’s Pelican Era (ten prior seasons, one playoff-series win), topping the 2017-18 season when DeMarcus Cousins’ untimely midseason injury spoiled their last, best chance to keep Anthony Davis in the vicinity of Bourbon Street.

Crescent City only had to suffer through one NBA season before another #1-overall pick landed in their lap. Thighs are no longer sore there, yet five years and 166 appearances later for Williamson, current PBO/GM David Griffin and Willie Green are carefully titrating Zion’s minutes, and appearances.

Assuming he is indeed a go today, this run of ten consecutive starts, and counting, is the longest stretch of the season for Zion (22.0 PPG, just ahead of Brandon Ingram’s 21.5; 5.2 APG and 5.6 RPG). He previously hadn’t played beyond seven-straight.

Aside from his passing, Williamson’s efficiencies are a solid step below his past two All-Star seasons, those straddling the 2021-22 campaign he had to sit out due to an offseason foot injury. Helping the Pelicans surge to the top of the NBA West early last year, he was named to 2023’s All-Star team despite barely making it past New Year’s Day before getting shut down with a strained hammy. Yet these days, he’s being asked to pinky-swear he’ll show up, in a jersey, for 2025’s Dunk Contest.

Barely clearing 30 minutes per contest, the 23-year-old’s playing time is down from the 33 MPG from those prior two seasons. But Williamson seems to have the on-floor assistance he needs, on various fronts, to play exclusively to his strengths and lead the Pelicans as far as he can toward, and through, the postseason.

New Orleans needed some timely blocks from Zion (3 blocks, 12 rebounds, 23 points mostly on relentless hot-knife-thru-butter drives to the hoop, 4 assists, 1 TO), and a little help from the refs in the clutch, to avoid blowing a 35-point lead over the hobbled 76ers in Philadelphia. But he has hardly had to lift a finger to aid the Pels in recent blowout victories – a 23-point win at MSG, 27-point payback blowout of the Pacers back home, then a 41-point win over the Raptors in Toronto.

The Pels certainly have enough horses in their stable to keep the Hawks (29-34) from collecting its fourth-straight home win at State Farm Arena, plus its season-high-tying fourth-straight W overall following a 99-92 win at Memphis on Friday. Particularly if Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado and New Orleans defenders can tamp down Dejounte Murray (probable, contused calf; career-high-tying 41 points @ MEM) and compel the Hawks to rely on their other remaining scoring threats (and you, too, Saddiq Bey).

Are there enough horses, and is there enough stability, for an upright Zion-led squad to knock off the reigning champ Nuggets, the Clippers, or the green Timberwolves and Thunder, and reach the second round? Should they begin to subside out of the West’s Top-6, can Zion’s star shine brightly enough to outduel the All-Star-studded threats that await in the Play-Ins?

Shirley, I can be serious!

 

Ramadan Kareem. Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

The Hawks were the healthy and halfway-decent team when they surged past the Pels in New Orleans back on November 4, their 123-105 win (70-45 in the second half) delivering Atlanta its fourth-win in a row and bringing both clubs to 4-2 on the season. Ingram was laboring through knee tendinitis while New Orleans was unsure of Naji Marshall's, Trey Murphy's and Jose Alvarado's individual health statuses.

Now the sole up-in-the-air Pelican medically is rookie Dyson Daniels (torn meniscus, out at least another week). New Orleans picked up a backup guard, in former St. Bon/Iowa State star Izaiah Brockington, for a ten-day, and he was in Birmingham with E.J. Liddell and a couple two-way guys on G-League duty. The lightly used Cody Zeller bears a face mask but is Available according to the latest available Boo-Boo Report.

Nothing new on the Hawks' injury front, although Dejounte's pregame status remains Probable.

Atlanta's fourth-quarter allowance of 22.9 PPG is the lowest in The Association since February 25th, as per Hawks' Game Notes. Stretch it back to the All-Star Break, and the 23.1 opponent PPG in final frames is also the lowest.

Murray cleared 40 points on Friday while taking, and making, just one freebie, a franchise first. A trio of triples would have Bogi Bogdanovic surpassing Jason Terry for 5th on the Hawks' all-time made-threes list.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

I'd have tuned in and wondered why I'm stuck watching Jimmy Hanlin's Swing Clinic. Thanks, Lauren! Lemme go update that TV info.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Move Over, IsoJoe!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Your momma named ya Trey, so you're gonna shoot Treys.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PRESENTING, FROM PEACHES AND HERB... HERB!"

 

~lw3

[Nash]

This is going to be an interesting game. If Hawks somehow pull out win that is going to be something. Pels are on a tear recently 

[kg01]

Bawb hit em with some spanish?

  You aint know I was try-lingual, kg? 

[Nash]

Cap and Djm already took 10 shots and hit only 3, smh

[Nash]

Murray keeps missing and then terrible on D jc

[thecampster]

Trey Murphey III is a good looking player.

[Nash]

Hawks shooting 27% fg so far. Take Bogi's 50% and they're close to zero jc

[JayBirdHawk]

Only 2 bench points.

DJ struggling 0-6.

Hunter 0-4

Everything is a struggle to score.

[Nash]

DJM, Dre and Bruno 0 for 13 lol  this team

[hawkman]

Murphy is killing us.

[Mikey]

I always laugh when people get on here and say our defense without Trae is better. Its only looked good cause we have played injured rattled teams. Every healthy team we have played has torched us 

[kg01]

Just now, hawkman said:

Everybody is killing us.

Fixed

Yall see this and think they were gonna send us Jones and Murphy for Murray?  Cmon, sun. 

[JayBirdHawk]

2 minutes ago, hawkman said:

Murphy is killing us.

NOP is killing us...on offense and on defense.

[givemesome1ce1]

We have only scored FOUR POINTS in the second quarter and you have people telling themselves that they keep Dejounte Murray as point guard and trade Trae. Please keep deluding yourselves. Pelicans defense hasn’t been good, offense has been TERRIBLE. 24 points on 38 Possesions is TERRIBLE

[Nash]

Just now, Mikey said:

I always laugh when people get on here and say our defense without Trae is better. Its only looked good cause we have played injured rattled teams. Every healthy team we have played has torched us 

Not that the defence is great but the current result doesn't have much to do with defense. We scored 24 points in 18 minutes. DJM and Dre 0 for 12 with 3 TO's and only 2 assists 

[willthepureshooter]

Quin has to help his team out when we're struggle on offense. This team definitely needs perimeter athleticism. Our three point shooting looks good when we're actually make shots, but we have to change it up when those shots aren't falling. We have too many players that can help in College Park jerseys.