Pelicans vs Hawks preview: Atlanta welcomes Anthony Davis

The Atlanta Hawks ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, but the team will need to bounce back in a big way on Friday, as they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

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As you may know by this point, New Orleans is led by Anthony Davis, who is putting together a strong MVP campaign in the early going. The 21-year-old Davis is averaging 25.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game on the season, and given his enormous upside, the Hawks will surely be accounting for him in multiple ways. It will be interesting to see the initial deployment defensively against him (Al Horford? Paul Millsap?), but throughout the night, the Pelicans will run everything through Davis.

The defensive end will be key from an all-around perspective, as the Pelicans are currently fourth in the NBA in offensive efficiency (107.9 points per 100). Atlanta played much better defensively against Washington in a road win on Tuesday, but Wednesday did not exactly bring progress in that effort. New Orleans is playing short-handed on the perimeter, but with Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans to pair with Davis, all hands should be on deck.

Jeff Teague has been playing extremely well in recent days, scoring 20-plus points in four straight games, and the point guard has seen his efficiency improve greatly from past seasons. Fans of Teague would argue that this is a "leap" for the 26-year-old, but we've seen this type of small-sample breakout in the recent past, and there is a bit of intrigue surrounding him with regard to keeping this going.

With a back-to-back on the horizon and the Charlotte Hornets coming to town on Saturday, this is an important game for the Atlanta Hawks. Back-to-back home losses would place a sour taste in the mouths of everyone, but in the same breath, this is a Pelicans team that is fully capable of escaping with a win in hostile territory.

Stay tuned to Peachtree Hoops throughout the day and night for all the latest.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, November 28, 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM