Kristaps Porzingis and the Hawks make short work of the Pelicans

And nine defeats in a row for Pelicanswho continue to dig in, despite the ousting of Willie Green last week. James Borrego hasn’t been able to do better since then with straight losses to Golden State, Oklahoma City, Denver and Dallas. Heading back to Louisiana to face Atlanta tonight, New Orleans just wasn’t up to par. Rather, once again, the combined absences of Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole, Herb Jones and even Zion Williamson weighed in.

Conversely, the Hawks who were still without Tree Young (and Onyeka Okongwu) didn’t have to push their talent to get the win. After a fairly even quarter and a half (32-32), Atlanta took the best thanks to metronome Jaylen Johnson. In playmaker mode, the winger first made three baskets, including a 3-pointer and a powerful dunk, before finding Kristaps Porzingis twice, on a well-made 3-pointer and then on an alley-oop to spark a 16-4 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by Nikhil Alexander-Walker (40-52).

The Pelicans quickly eased up after the break, when Zachary Rizaher and Whit Krejci joined the fun. The first showed in the air and thanks to three assists, especially for the triples of Nikhil Alexander Walker and Kristaps Porzingis. Another showed off his shooting skills from behind the arc to string three-pointers against an apathetic defense. The Czech guard made four at the end of the third quarter (70-88), and three more in the last act to take a point with 3 minutes to go (86-110).

Mission accomplished for the Hawks who won their tenth win of the season with a final score of 115 to 98, while New Orleans already has 15 losses…

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Jaylen Johnson as the perfect leader. The wing has become the main playmaker for the Hawks in Tree Young’s absence and he demonstrated that again tonight. 18 points, 11 rebounds and above all 9 assists which shows his investment in involving the rest of the team. He plays like a veteran, although he didn’t have to push his talent given the level of the opposition.

– Vito Krejci’s heat stroke. The Czech guard turned into a “pointer” by punishing the Pelicans’ lax defense on him from behind the arc at every opportunity. He heated up at the end of the third quarter and continued his momentum to finish at 7/10. Enough to make up for Zachary Rizaher’s 0/6 in practice, who excelled in the more aerial register. The Frenchman still remains 0/11 with 3 points in his last two matches. The end of the series is expected tonight against Charlotte.

– Could the Pelicans hope for better? A crisis is brewing on the Pelicans side. The Borrego shock didn’t happen, the players and fans don’t seem to believe it and tonight’s match shouldn’t help the situation. The real problem is that New Orleans can’t hope for much at this point, with three or even four players from their top five on the sidelines. The end of the crisis will come only with the return of Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole and Zion Williamson, hoping that it will be as soon as possible…

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.