NBA: Pelicans storm out 35–18 and never let Atlanta back into it

Two straight wins after four defeats to open the season: the Pelicans have found their starting five. Since Jamahl Mosley, who arrived this summer, put Karlo Matković and Herbert Jones in the starting five alongside Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Fears, New Orleans have won twice. On Saturday the team shot 57%, grabbed 49 rebounds and stole 15 balls.

Atlanta, who came in having lost four of their last five games, took 46 threes and made only 8. The return of CJ McCollum to the arena where he played last year, greeted with applause during a tribute video on the big screen, was the only warm moment of the night for the visitors.

The game settled in twelve minutes

The Hawks led 4–2 after two minutes, and never again. Fears drove to the basket twice, then Jones hit a three: 10–4 at 8 min 42. Bey hit a lay-up then a three, Williamson dunked on the break off a Fears pass, Bennedict Mathurin added a long-range basket: 28–15 at 3 min 38. Bey dunked, Derik Queen crashed in for an offensive rebound, and Jones hit a floater at the buzzer: 35–18.

Atlanta lost eight balls in that first quarter. New Orleans shot 56% in it. The gap never fell below ten points after that, with 31–41 at 7 min 50 of the second quarter the closest the Hawks got. At the break, the Pelicans led 63–48.

An 11–2 run to kill the contest

McCollum opened the third quarter with a lay-up and a three, 53–63 at 10 min 55. New Orleans answered with an 11–2 run: Fears driving twice off passes from Williamson, Williamson himself, two free throws from Murphy, then a corner three from Matković set up by Fears, 74–55 at 7 min 29.

The Pelicans led by 20 points several times in the quarter, 92–74 at the end of the period. The final frame only served to stretch the lead, to as many as 28 points, 121–93, on an offensive rebound by Julian Reese at 2 min 26. In the closing minutes, Atlanta reserve Kingston Flemings was ejected after an elbow to the face of Bryce McGowens, a sequence that sparked a scrum quickly broken up by the players and coaches of both sides, after a video review by the officials.

Players of the match

Bey was the game's leading scorer, coming off the bench: 25 points on 9 of 13 shooting, 6 of 7 from the line, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in 26 minutes. Fears confirmed his status as starting point guard with 20 points on 9 of 12, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, his second straight game with 20 points or more. Williamson finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, Murphy with 15 points and 5 assists. Matković grabbed 10 rebounds and made 3 of his 4 shots, two of them from deep. Queen added 8 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes.

For the Hawks, McCollum scored 14 points on 5 of 9. Jalen Johnson racked up 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, but also 4 turnovers. Asa Newell contributed 13 points off the bench. Onyeka Okongwu, the big man of Nigerian descent, took 10 rebounds but shot 3 of 12, 0 of 5 from deep. Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed all seven of his threes, Luguentz Dort six of seven. Flemings finished with 12 points, 6 assists and 4 steals before his ejection.

Three takeaways

The Pelicans' new starting five works. Matković and Jones bring the rebounding, defence and spacing that were missing: 49 rebounds to 36, 15 steals, 43 field goals made on 76. Two games, two wins, and a bench that scores 52 points.

Atlanta have a shooting problem more than an opposition problem. 8 of 46 from three is 17%. The Hawks got the shots they wanted; they just did not make them. Their 21 free throws made out of 23 show the night was not a question of rhythm.

The Pelicans still turn the ball over too much. 25 turnovers in all, including 3 each for Bey, Fears, Williamson and Queen. Against a team more accurate than Atlanta, that number costs you a game.

The SNA view

This win has to be judged for what it is: a dominant performance against a team that could not buy a basket. What is encouraging for New Orleans is less the score than the way Mosley's starting five found each other, with a Fears who plays as a playmaker rather than a scorer, 7 assists for 3 turnovers, and a Williamson who accepts taking only eight shots. What worries about Atlanta is the repetition: four defeats in five games, and a team that takes 46 shots from deep without creating half of them. Quin Snyder has a squad built for the playoffs; he does not yet have an offensive pecking order.

What's next

New Orleans, 2–4, travel to Memphis, the league's unbeaten team, in the night from Monday to Tuesday, at 2 am Brazzaville time. Atlanta, 3–4, play at Indiana the same night, at 1:30 am.