Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reaction to First Preseason Game vs. Pelicans

The first preseason game for the Atlanta Hawks is in the books, and the team rattled off an emphatic victory over the New Orleans Pelicans – 116-102.

The Atlanta Hawks played their first preseason game and soundly defeated a dangerous New Orleans Pelicans team in McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

While numerous players were out with injury, the team did have multiple notable performers. A more in-depth look at the main contributors is coming soon, but until then, here’s a recap of the action.

DeAndre’ Bembry led the Hawks in scoring with 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting, 5 of 7 from the charity stripe. He also notched 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a team-high 25 minutes.

Bembry is among the players facing the most pressure in the 2018-19 season, so it was nice to see him perform well in his first game after what was a lost 2017-18 campaign. Bembry was decisive and forceful – a potent combination for a bench scorer and playmaker.

The Atlanta Hawks starters, surprisingly enough, actually outplayed the vaunted twin towers of Anthony Davis and Julius Randle – as John Collins (18 points, 3 rebounds) and Trae Young (11 points, 8 assists) outscored the two Pelicans. That duo also connected for this scintillating, off-the-backboard lob from Young to JC:

Taurean Waller-Prince and Kent Bazemore played limited minutes and had fairly low usage, but they still provided excellent value with a combined 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and +24 box plus/minus.

In the first minutes of his career, Kevin Huerter scored 2 points on 1 of 5 shooting, though he did log 3 assists – underlining his underrated passing and playmaking ability.

Tyler Dorsey continued his gains from late last season, filling it up his 12 minutes of play with 10 shot attempts leading to 11 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.

Speaking of filling it up, Alex Poythress scored in bunches in his 14 minutes of action, logging 13 points, 5 boards, 2 assists and a whopping 5 fouls during his time on the court.

Similarly, Thomas Robinson, who is fighting for a roster spot, was extremely active in his 10 minutes of playing time. Robinson scored 8 points on a perfect 2 of 2 from the floor, and he also hustled his way to the line for 5 free throw attempts. Definitely an impressive outing for Robinson.

The Atlanta Hawks play next against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST. Keep it locked to Soaring Down South for more coverage of the team’s first preseason game as well as all your Atlanta Hawks news and updates.