Two teams at opposite ends of the NBA spectrum will meet tonight in the Big Easy as the red-hot Atlanta Hawks square off with the struggling New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. The Hawks have rebounded strongly from their season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, reeling off five consecutive victories to storm to the top of the Southeast Division standings. The same can’t be said about the slumping Pelicans, however, who are one of four NBA teams still winless this season.
Can New Orleans finally snap its losing skid tonight? Or will the Hawks pile more misery on Alvin Gentry’s squad? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Brooklyn vs. LA Lakers and Miami vs. Indiana.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
When: Friday, November 6, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Atlanta Hawks (-3) at New Orleans Pelicans (+3); total: 205.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks extended their winning streak to five games with a convincing 101-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Al Horford was the star of the show for the Hawks, scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds against the Nets. He has been solid on both ends of the court for Atlanta this season, averaging 18 points, 8.7 rebounds and two blocks this campaign.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Key to the Hawks’ sudden resurgence has been their phenomenal defense. The Hawks are allowing just 95.3 points per game this season, fifth-best in the NBA. The Hawks have held opponents to 94 points or fewer over their last four outings. That defensive intensity was in full display against Brooklyn on Wednesday where they recorded season-highs in steals (15) and blocks (10).
They will look to replicate that performance tonight when they take on the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a New Orleans side that’s averaging just 100.8 points per game this season, 15th in the entire NBA. That being said, the Pelicans have had the Hawks’ number recently, with New Orleans winning four of their last five meetings.
Even if that is the case, the Hawks will still fancy their chances of grabbing the victory this evening. Atlanta has been playing some excellent basketball of late, particularly on the road. The Hawks are 3-0 on their travels this season, holding opponents to just 95 points per contest.
Expected to spearhead the Hawks’ attack tonight is Jeff Teague. He leads the team in scoring (19.2 PPG) and assists (5.8 APG) this season. He was simply unstoppable against New Orleans last season, averaging 23.5 points and 7.0 assists in their two meetings last campaign.
The Hawks are 2-0-1 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
What in the world is happening to the Pelicans?
New Orleans crashed to its fourth consecutive defeat on Tuesday with a humbling 103-94 loss to the Orlando Magic. It was another disappointing performance by the Pelicans who remained winless to start the season. This is New Orleans’ worst start to an NBA campaign in 11 years.
Alvin Gentry surely didn’t envision such an opening salvo to his Pelicans’ coaching career. He can attribute that poor start to his side’s woeful field goal shooting. They are shooting just 40.9 percent from the field this season, sixth-worst in the NBA. In fact, Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday are all shooting below that mark.
Davis, in particular, has been a shell of his former self this season. He was just 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to Orlando, finishing with a measly 14 points. He’s averaging just 20.8 points and 10 boards this campaign, way below his scoring and rebounding marks last season.
It doesn’t help matters that injuries are ravaging the New Orleans side at the present time. Tyreke Evans (right knee), Norris Cole (left ankle) and Quincy Pondexter (left knee) have yet to play this campaign and Omer Asik has seen just 10 minutes this season while battling a right calf strain. Kendrick Perkins is also out with a right pectoral issue.
For the Pelicans to snap their losing skid tonight, they will need to get Davis more involved on the offensive end. He averaged 26.0 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent in New Orleans’ last four meetings against Atlanta. Apart from that, the Pelicans also need to improve on their lackluster defense. They are second-worst in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing a whopping 115.0 points per game this season.
The Pelicans are 0-2 SU and ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta (-3) extends their winning streak to six games with a 99-92 win.
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