The Atlanta Hawks have been on a roll over their last three games.
After losing their first two games of the season, they have averaged 128 points in comfortable wins against Milwaukee, Minnesota and Washington. They’ll seek a fourth straight win when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
“The sky was not falling when we lost our first two,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said, “and we don’t need to congratulate ourselves for winning three.”
Seven players scored in double figures in the 130-121 home win against the Wizards on Wednesday.
“That’s indicative of our unselfishness,” Snyder said. “It is a byproduct of us being willing to move the ball.”
Dejounte Murray led the way, finishing with 24 points after tying his career high with 41 against the Timberwolves on Monday.
Trae Young added 23 points and 10 assists, although he made just 7 of 18 shots and is shooting just 32.6 percent for the season.
“My shot still isn’t falling and we are winning ballgames, so that’s good for me,” Young said.
Atlanta took control against the Wizards by outscoring them 74-52 over the second and third quarters. Washington led 30-25 after one quarter and made the final more respectable with a 39-31 edge in the fourth quarter.
“We started a little flat, but I liked how we picked it up,” Snyder said. “We did not execute how we wanted to at the end of the fourth quarter. We need to work on playing the full 48 minutes.”
The Pelicans are also playing well. They overcame a 22-point deficit in a 110-106 win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in the largest road comeback in franchise history. They had an easier time of it Thursday, leading nearly wire to wire in a 125-116 home victory against Detroit.
Leading scorer Brandon Ingram has missed the last three games because of knee soreness, and second-leading scorer Zion Williamson was given the night off against the Pistons.
“I think that’s the sign of a good team,” said guard CJ McCollum, who led the team in scoring in both games. “Just figuring out a way to be a pro and figure out a way to win — that’s the sign of character. That’s the sign of people that really want it, people that want to be a part of winning.
“You need to be able to get through tough moments. You need to be able to overcome some adversity, and I think that’s when you really see what people are made of.”
New Orleans had several players make up for the absence of the team’s two star forwards against Detroit. McCollum scored 33, Herbert Jones scored 21, Matt Ryan had a career-high 20 and Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Pelicans finished with a season-high point total.
“CJ did everything we asked him to do and more,” coach Willie Green said. “He’s a leader. It’s a credit to his mindset, to his character and the work that he puts in.”
The Hawks and the Pelicans split their two meetings last season, with the home team winning both games.
–Field Level Media
