Hawks vs Pelicans: Game Thread – Starting Lineups, Injury Report, Series Notes, etc.
By David Menze
Jan 31, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) brings the ball up court during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hawks defeated the Sixers 125-99. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Game Preview
The Atlanta Hawks will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back set, squaring off against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans in The Big Easy tonight.
The Hawks look to rebound in New Orleans after losing a hard fought home game last night against the NBA-leading Indiana Pacers. It was the first time the Pacers won in Atlanta since 2006. They had previously lost the last 12 straight regular-season meetings in Philips Arena.
Paul Millsap, who was recently selected as an Eastern Conference all-star reserve by NBA coaches, struggled mightily against Indiana and finished the game with only seven points on 2-of-11 shooting. He had previously scored 20 points or more in seven of the last 10 games.
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Quick Facts
Who?: Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Pelicans
What?: East vs West Showdown (Game #48, Road Game #24)
Where?: New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, LA)
When?: Wednesday, February 5, 2014 – 8:00 PM (ET)
How?: SportSouth HD TV & 92.9 FM
Probable Starters
Atlanta Hawks:
PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Kyle Korver | SF: DeMarre Carroll | PF: Paul Millsap | C: Gustavo Ayon
New Orleans Pelicans:
PG: Brian Roberts | SG: Eric Gordon | SF: Al-Farouq Aminu | PF: Anthony Davis | C: Alexis Ajinca
Injury Report
Atlanta Hawks: Pero Antic (stress fracture, right ankle), Al Horford (right pectoral muscle surgery) and John Jenkins (lower back surgery) are out.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ryan Anderson (herniated disc), Jrue Holiday (right tibia, stress fracture) and Jason Smith (right knee cartilage) are out.
Current Records, Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold
Records: Atlanta Hawks (25-22) / New Orleans Pelicans (20-27)
Streaks: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Lost 1 | HOME: Lost 1 | ROAD: Won 1 New Orleans Pelicans –> OVERALL: Lost 1 | HOME: Lost 1 | ROAD: Lost 1
Home/Away Records: Pelicans are (11-11) at home / Hawks are (9-14) on the road.
Atlanta Hawks: Lukewarm. The Hawks just got a two-game winning streak snapped by the Pacers on Tuesday, but showed a lot of fight late in the game with a furious fourth quarter come back, however fell short 89-85. Respectable loss. Atlanta will carry over that fight on Wednesday and give New Orleans all they’ve got.
New Orleans Pelicans: Cold. The Pelicans are coming a loss to the Spurs, and have dropped two of their last three games overall. It doesn’t help that former All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday will miss the game.
Series Notes/Past Series Notes
Atlanta travels to New Orleans for the first of two meetings between the clubs. The teams will close the season series at Philips Arena on 3/21. The 2012-13 season series ended in a 1-1 split, with the visiting team winning each contest. New Orleans took the final game 111-100 on 2/8/13. The Hawks have won two straight games at New Orleans, with the Pelicans last recording a home victory on 12/26/10 (93-86). Atlanta leads the all-time series 43-39 (18-22 on the road).
Common Threads
Gustavo Ayon saw action in 54 games for New Orleans in 2011-12. Pelicans Assistant Coach Fred Vinson is a former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, and appeared in five games with the Hawks in 1994-95. Anthony Morrow is a Georgia Tech alum and played in 24 games for Atlanta in 2012-13 before being dealt to Dallas where he became a teammate of Elton Brand. Al-Farouq Aminu is a native of Atlanta (Norcross HS), and played with Jeff Teague at Wake Forest. As an Assistant with the Spurs, Mike Budenholzer coached Monty Williams from 1996-98, before Williams joined Budenholzer on the Spurs’ coaching staff as an intern in 2004-05. Elton Brand (2009-12), Shelvin Mack (part of 2012-13) and Lou Williams (2009-12) were all teammates at one time with Jrue Holiday in Philadelphia. Brand (2008-10), Kyle Korver (part of 2007-08) and Lou Williams (2007-10) also all played alongside Jason Smith with the 76ers. Ayon and the Pelicans’ Ryan Anderson were traded for one another on 6/11/12 (Ayon to Orlando and Anderson to New Orleans). Austin Rivers is the son of Hawks great Doc Rivers, the franchise’s all-time leader in assists.
Information was used from the Hawks and Pelicans official gamenotes
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