National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Atlanta 126, New Orleans 103
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, April 2, 2021
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #31 Scott Wall, #83 Andy Nagy, #74 Curtis Blair
Attendance: 3700
By Field Level Media

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 26 points to lead seven Atlanta players in double figures as the Hawks routed the host New Orleans Pelicans 126-103 in a battle of short-handed teams Friday night.

Kevin Huerter added 24 points, Lou Williams scored 19 with eight assists, Clint Capela had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Onyeka Okongwu scored 11 while Tony Snell and Brandon Goodwin scored 10 each for the Hawks, who finished 4-4 on their road trip.

Rookie Kira Lewis Jr. scored a season-high 21 points, James Johnson had 16, Eric Bledsoe had 14, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes added 12 each and Wes Iwundu had 10 to lead the Pelicans, who visit the Hawks again on Tuesday after a road game at Houston Sunday.

The Hawks played without Trae Young (knee), John Collins (ankle), De'Andre Hunter (knee) and Danilo Gallinari (Achilles).

The Pelicans played without four starters -- Zion Williamson (thumb), Brandon Ingram (toe), Lonzo Ball (hip) and Steven Adams (ankle) -- and top reserve Josh Hart (thumb).

Both teams were completing back-to-backs after the Pelicans lost to visiting Orlando 115-110 in overtime and the Hawks won 134-129 in double overtime at San Antonio on Thursday.

The Hawks began the third quarter with a 12-2 run that gave them a 67-56 lead.

The Pelicans scored five straight points before Huerter had five points during a 16-3 run that gave Atlanta an 83-64 lead.

Lewis scored New Orleans' final five points to cut the Hawks' lead to 94-79 at the end of the third quarter, but Atlanta maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

New Orleans led by as many as seven points four times during the first quarter. Alexander-Walker's nine points led eight Pelicans scorers and they finished the period with a 34-28 lead.

Atlanta started the second quarter with a 15-6 run and took a 49-45 lead in a back-and-forth period that included seven lead changes and four ties. Okongwu made a layup, and his steal led to Huerter's layup, which concluded the scoring and gave the Hawks a 55-54 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   New Orleans
Bogdan Bogdanovic 26 Scoring Kira Lewis Jr. 21
Lou Williams 8 Assists James Johnson 6
Clint Capela 10 Rebounds Willy Hernangomez 9
Clint Capela 4 Free Throws Made Nickeil Alexander-Walker 4
Clint Capela 2 Steals Naji Marshall 3
Clint Capela 6 Blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 126 56.3 13-29 15-21 25 42 9 10 15
New Orleans 103 43.2 8-29 19-23 22 34 6 7 15
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .455 after a win and .423 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Hawks have a W/L % of .520 after a win and .500 after a loss.