The New Orleans Pelicans pulled off an improbable and intensely entertaining 115-100 beatdown of the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Atlanta, who had come into the game on a 19-game winning streak (the 5th-longest in NBA history), seemed out of sorts from the midpoint of the first quarter, missing easy shots and struggling to contain an energized Pelicans team.
Anthony Davis, who had sat out for much of the previous week with a groin injury, returned to the floor wielding his customary lethality in the air and off the glass. Davis scored 29 points, leading all scorers, and collected 13 rebounds.
“It feels good to have that collaborative effort and have a team win,” said Ryan Anderson in a post-game locker room interview. “It’s a big win for us, especially at home.”
The Pelicans moved the ball really well, a hallmark of the games they win, and noticeably lacking in many of the questionable games they have lost this season. Tyreke Evans also had a double-double, scoring 15 points and dishing out 12 assists. Eric Gordon, who appears to be a completely different player since returning from a shoulder injury, scored 20 points and handed off 7 assists.
“We’re a good team,” Gordon said after the game. “We’re a tough team to beat when we’re attacking and moving the ball.”
Even backup guard Jimmer Fredette got into the action tonight, scoring a clutch 3-pointer with 6:39 to play to keep New Orleans’s momentum hot and pushing his point total to 10 on this night.
“Like I always say, you’ve got to be ready when that name is called,” he said. “You never know when that opportunity is going to come, but you’ve got to be ready for it.”
The Pelicans have now won six of their last seven games. They will face the 24-24 Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Wednesday, and then travel to OKC to face them again on Friday.