NBA: Hawks soar past depleted Pelicans, 126-111

Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a three-point basket over Jordan Hawkins #24 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center on November 03, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. | Photo by Sean Gardner/ Getty Images via AFP

NEW ORLEANS — Jalen Johnson scored 29 points and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a four-game skid with a 126-111 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson was scratched from the lineup with right hamstring tightness shortly before the game, leaving Brandon Ingram as the club’s only usual starter in uniform.

Ingram scored 32, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Hawks squad with six players with at least 11 points.

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Trae Young scored 23, while former Pelican Dyson Daniels, back from a two-game injury absence, added 16 for Atlanta. Larry Nance Jr. scored 14 against his former team.

New Orleans was also without starters Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones, along with prominent reserve Trey Murphy III.

The Hawks played without starter De’Andre Hunter, plus rotation players Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vit Krejci and Kobe Bufkin due to injury.

NBA: Hawks vs Pelicans takeaways

Hawks: Daniels and Nance didn’t hide the satisfaction they got from producing against the club that traded them last offseason as part of a deal that brought Murray to New Orleans. Nance blew a kiss to the Pelicans’ bench a 3 late in the third quarter. Daniels celebrated a 3 with a hand gesture that resembled spraying gunfire across New Orleans’ bench.

Pelicans: Young reserves hustled but lacked the firepower to stay with Atlanta. Fill-in starter Jordan Hawkins scored 19 points. Reserves Brandon Boston Jr. and Jamal Cain each scored 14.

Key moment

The Hawks pulled away for good with a 14-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter that made it 116-97. David Roddy ignited it with a 3 and Johnson had three dunks during the spurt.

Key stat

The Pelicans were outscored 66-32 in the paint.

Up next

The Hawks play host to the defending champion Boston Celtics on Monday night. The Pelicans host Portland on Monday night in the second of two games in two nights.