Peachtree Hoops - March 21: Pelicans 111, Hawks 105The place to read about/discuss the Atlanta Hawks.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/8811/peachtree-fave.jpg2014-03-22T11:30:01-04:00http://www.peachtreehoops.com/rss/stream/52965752014-03-22T11:30:01-04:002014-03-22T11:30:01-04:00Williams returns to rotation
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<p>Kyle Korver's injury opened up an opportunity for Lou Williams who had been a DNP-CD in seven straight games. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do much with the opportunity. </p> <p><span>Lou Williams</span>' roller coaster season continued on Friday as he was finally back in the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a>' rotation because of an injury to Kyle Korver. Unfortunately, Williams didn't turn in a performance that necessarily suggests he needs to be back in the rotation.</p>
<p>Williams played just under 15 minutes in Friday's 111-105 loss to the <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Pelicans</a> and finished with two points on 1-4 shooting. He committed two turnovers and failed to hand out an assists. Perhaps a more telling stat is that Atlanta was outscored by 18 points with Lou on the floor. Now +/- stats in a single game situation don't necessarily tell the entire story as they don't reflect who the player is on the court with.</p>
<p>However, Lou's +/- for the season is at -2.8 which suggests that night's like Friday night have been closer to the norm. Williams returned to action in late November following last season's ACL injury. He saw his playing time increase over December and January and topped out at 27.4 minutes in February. Williams averaged 10.9 points in 12 games that month but many of his shooting numbers weren't good or took a dive with the increased minutes.</p>
<p>This is where the numbers can be somewhat deceiving. Williams scored in double figures for seven straight games from February 18 - March 2. He averaged 14.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting. He did manage to get to the free throw line more often and was converting at a good clip. It was clearly the best offensive stretch of Williams' season except it wasn't leading to success for the Hawks on the court.</p>
<p>Most of Williams' problems come on the defensive end of the floor. He is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body. His defensive rating for the season is 110.6. Since the All-Star break that number balloons to 120.2. His net rating on the season is -5.0. That means that over 100 possessions with Williams on the floor the Hawks have been outscored by five points. Since the All-Star break William's net rating is -16.3.</p>
<p>A lot of that has to do with the team's performance. Lou finds himself out of the rotation now due to <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> looking for a combination that works. Once you look at the numbers, its not too difficult to figure why he's the odd man out.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/22/5536064/pelicans-vs-hawks-lou-williamsKris Willis2014-03-22T08:00:02-04:002014-03-22T08:00:02-04:00Anthony Davis dominates in Hawks loss to Pelicans
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<p>Former #1 overall pick Anthony Davis entered Friday night's game coming off of an illness, but it certainly didn't show, as the New Orleans Pelicans big man dominated the proceedings to down the Atlanta Hawks. </p> <p>It is no secret that <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Pelicans</a> big man <span>Anthony Davis</span> is one of the game's best players, and he reminded the city of Atlanta (and the entire NBA) of that fact on Friday night. The former Kentucky Wildcat scored a game-high 34 points on 11 for 19 shooting and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, and he was the central and chief reason why they were able to come into Philips Arena and emerge with a 111-105 victory.</p>
<p>On the surface, this seems like a run-of-the-mill occurrence to some degree, with a rising star putting a team on his back to doom the hometown <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Hawks</a>, but this performance felt like more than that from an Atlanta perspective. This was a 20-year-old player in his sophomore season in the NBA absolutely <i>eviscerating</i> the Hawks, and with a great portion of the Atlanta fan base starving for "star power", it is difficult to ignore the synergy.</p>
<p>The game turned for good when New Orleans went on a cumulative 22-4 run between the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th quarters, and without any sort of coincidence, Davis was right in the middle of things. During that stretch, he ran the gamut of spectacular plays, getting to the free throw line with ease and efficiency, knocking down the mid-range jump shot (which he did with consistency throughout the night), and even using high-flying acrobatics to attack the rim with a vengeance.</p>
<p>When the push ceased, the Pelicans led by 10 points with 9 minutes to play, and even when the Hawks challenged a bit to keep the lead in single digits as the final minutes approached, "the brow" would have no part of it. Davis took the ball to the rim for back-to-back dunks that lengthened the lead to a "safe" distance for the New Orleans, and frankly, he took the air out of the building for the final time.</p>
<p class="p1">What does it all mean from the standpoint of the Atlanta Hawks? Simply put, Davis is the characterization of everything that a great deal of Hawks fans desire. He is an ascending, unilateral talent (who also plays defense!) that is headed toward the upper stratosphere of the league, and the Pelicans had to be lucky enough to secure the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft in order to snatch him. For years upon years, there has been a faction of Atlanta fans who yearn for a superstar talent in the worst way, and it has to be especially painful to that group when a player with the combination of youth and talent of Davis steps into Atlanta and leads a band of merry men to a victory that they have no business securing.</p>
<p class="p1">Even without <span>Kyle Korver</span> in the lineup due to a late back injury, the Atlanta Hawks are a flat-out better basketball team than the New Orleans Pelicans when you evaluate the two active/healthy rosters against one another. Throw in the built-in advantage of home court, and you have exactly one X-factor as to how New Orleans did what they were able to do.</p>
<p class="p1">Anthony Davis.</p>
<p class="p1">Yes, there were absolutely other "factors" in play during the loss, ranging from inexplicable defensive gaffes to let <span>Luke Babbitt</span> (Luke Babbitt!!!!) knock down multiple threes to uncharacteristic fouling throughout the night, but without Davis at this peak, the Hawks would have been a safe bet to win. It certainly won't comfort Hawks fans to realize the reality of the situation, but Friday night serves as a harrowing reminder of the glass ceiling that any organization encounters without the benefit of a generational talent on their side.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/22/5535372/pelicans-vs-hawks-recap-anthony-davisBrad Rowland2014-03-21T22:04:23-04:002014-03-21T22:04:23-04:004th quarter dooms Hawks in 111-105 loss to N.O.
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<p>Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans came into Philips Arena and ran away in the 4th quarter to knock off the Atlanta Hawks, 111-105. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> led after 36 minutes of game action on Friday night, but in the final frame, there were simply too many defensive breakdowns, and as a result, the <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Pelicans</a> were able to emerge with a 111-105 victory that snapped Atlanta's season-long winning streak at five games. New Orleans scored 42 points in the 4th quarter, led by 8 unlikely points from reserve forward <span>Luke Babbitt</span>, and the Hawks simply couldn't keep pace despite a late charge, falling by the 6-point final margin.</p>
<p><span>Paul Millsap</span> led the way for the Hawks with 20 points on 9 for 15 shooting, but he was still soundly outplayed by his counterpart, <span>Anthony Davis</span>, who finished with an astounding 34 points and 11 rebounds on the night. In the backcourt, both <span>Jeff Teague</span> and <span>Shelvin Mack</span> (who started in place of the injured <span>Kyle Korver</span>) had solid nights with 26 and 18 points respectively, but both guys were highlighted by short spurts, and it wasn't enough to sustain team-wide offense throughout the night.</p>
<p>Defense was certainly the issue for Atlanta throughout the night, and it showed in the final box score. The Pelicans shot a blistering 51% from the floor as a team, and when you add in that New Orleans was able to get to the free throw line at will (making 35 of 43 attempts), it wasn't a recipe for success on this night.</p>
<p>The night was highlighted by the return of <span>Lou Williams</span> to the lineup, but after seven consecutive DNP-CD's, Williams was wholly ineffective in 15 minutes of court time. For reference, the combo guard finished with a game-worst -18 rating, and he finished with only 2 points to go with 2 turnovers and 0 assists on the night.</p>
<p>After snapping their lengthy winning streak, Atlanta will have a tough test in their next match-up, as they travel north of the border to take on the <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Toronto Raptors</a> with a special 1:00 pm ET tip-off on Sunday afternoon.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/21/5535274/pelicans-vs-hawks-final-scoreBrad Rowland2014-03-21T19:29:14-04:002014-03-21T19:29:14-04:00Kyle Korver out against Pelicans
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<p>After cutting his warm-up routine short due to apparent back issues, Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver has been ruled out for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to back spasms.</p> <p>Coming into Friday night's game against the <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Pelicans</a>, the only known injury concern for the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> was that of Dennis Schröder's ankle. However, the home team has been hit with an additional injury problem just before tip-off, as sharpshooting swingman <span>Kyle Korver</span> was unable to suit up for the game. Korver was unable to complete his normally lengthy pregame shooting routine, and it appears as if that carried over to tip-off as he was ruled out with back spasms.</p>
<p>This is certainly a significant loss for the Hawks on a variety of levels, beginning with the fact that Korver is the single best shooter on the roster, which should negatively affect Atlanta in attempting to spread the floor offensively. Korver has been utterly lights-out this season from 3-point distance, shooting 48.6% from beyond the arc (to lead the NBA), but more than that, the threat of his existence gives the opposition nightmares on a consistent basis, and his overall game has been very solid for the Hawks.</p>
<p>In his absence, <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> has elected to start guard <span>Shelvin Mack</span> alongside <span>Jeff Teague</span> in the backcourt, and it will be interesting to see how the team adjusts to this smaller lineup. Stay tuned for all the latest as more detail becomes available.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/21/5534880/kyle-korver-injury-atlanta-hawksBrad Rowland2014-03-21T18:30:04-04:002014-03-21T18:30:04-04:00Pelicans vs Hawks game thread
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<p>The Atlanta Hawks look for a season-best sixth straight win when they host Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. Discuss all of tonight's action here:</p> <p></p>
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"><tbody> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">2014 NBA Regular Season Game 67</th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><center> <a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/3379669/Pelicans.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Pelicans_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3379669/Pelicans_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1383311452377"><strong>(27-40)</strong> </center></center></td> <th align="center" width="20">vs</th> <td width="240"><center> <center> <a target="_blank" href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/991577/hawkslogomedium.png"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/991577/hawkslogomedium_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Hawkslogomedium_medium"></a> <br id="1383957918576"><br> </center> <center><strong>(31-35)</strong></center> </center></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><strong>Friday, March 21, 2014</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>7:30 p.m. </strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>SportSouth, 92.9 FM "The Game"</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">Probable Starters</th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Brian Roberts</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PG</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Jeff Teague</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Eric Gordon</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SG</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Shelvin Mack</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Tyreke Evans</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SF</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>DeMarre Carroll</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Anthony Davis</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PF</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Paul Millsap</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><font color="#292929"><span><span>Greg Stiemsma</span></span></font></td> <th align="center" width="20">C</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Pero Antic</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><strong>2013-14 Advanced Stats</strong></th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">94.46 (23rd)</td> <th align="center" width="20">Pace</th> <td width="240">97.05 (12th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">104.8 (T11th)</td> <th align="center" width="20">ORtg</th> <td width="240">103.9 (14th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">107.3 (27th)</td> <th align="center" width="20">DRtg</th> <td width="240">104.3 (17th)</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
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<h4>For in-game updates be sure to follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/peachtreehoops">Peachtree Hoops on Twitter</a>.</h4>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/21/5532544/new-orleans-pelicans-vs-atlanta-hawks-game-threadKris Willis2014-03-21T11:41:54-04:002014-03-21T11:41:54-04:00Dennis Schröder likely to play against Pelicans
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<p>Despite an ankle injury that forced him out of action early on Tuesday, Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder is likely to play when the team takes on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> rookie point guard Dennis Schröder left Tuesday night's impressive victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Toronto Raptors</a> with an apparent left ankle injury, and with that, his status for Friday night's match-up against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/">New Orleans Pelicans</a> was very much up in the air. Now, though, we have a bit of clarity surrounding the situation following Atlanta's morning shootaround.</p>
<blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Update on Dennis: He will warm up and see how he feels tonight prior to tip-off... Coach Bud says he is "likely to play" <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ATLHawks&src=hash">#ATLHawks</a></p>
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/statuses/447034976488284161">March 21, 2014</a>
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<p>Schröder has been a much bigger part of the rotation in recent days (as the presence of <span>Lou Williams</span> has evaporated), and he has touched the floor in live action in 13 of the last 15 games for the Hawks. The highlight of that run was an 8-point, 5-assist performance in a win over Milwaukee on March 13th, and the 20-year-old has upped his shooting percentage to nearly 45% from the floor over the past 10 games. In addition, Mike Budenholzer has been open with his increasing trust in Dennis, and there are real steps being taken from the 2013 1st-round pick.</p>
<p>It is certainly good news for both the team and the player that Schröder will "likely" be available for Friday night's tilt, and against an extremely underwhelming rotation of point guards for New Orleans, the rookie could have a nice evening. If for some reason he can't go, we will likely bear witness to the return of Lou Williams.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/21/5533234/dennis-schroder-ankle-injury-atlanta-hawksBrad Rowland2014-03-21T08:00:11-04:002014-03-21T08:00:11-04:00Hawks aim to keep streak alive against Pelicans
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<p>Heading into Friday night with a season-best winning streak of 5 straight games, the Atlanta Hawks will welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to Philips Arena.</p> <p>After a rough stretch that never seemed to end, it seems almost odd that the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> are <i>scorching</i> hot, but that is where we are as the team hosts the <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Pelicans</a> on Friday night. The Hawks have won a season-high five consecutive games, and while the schedule has been undeniably favorable, that stretch did include an incredibly positive win over Toronto on Tuesday, as well as a solid road win against the playoff-bound <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/charlotte-bobcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Bobcats</a>.</p>
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<div class="blog-links-compact-link-container"><a href="http://www.thebirdwrites.com?utm_source=sbnation&utm_medium=bloglinks&utm_campaign=blogs">New Orleans Pelicans blog The Bird Writes</a></div>
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<p>The Pelicans present some unique challenges, though, despite their somewhat ugly win-loss record. New Orleans has one of the best young players in all of the NBA in <span>Anthony Davis</span>, and while he is somewhat of a question mark to play in the game after missing their last tilt with illness (although he did practice on Thursday), Davis forces all kinds of match-up concerns for the Atlanta front line. Because of his length and skill level (as evidenced by his 20-10 averages this season), it is a safe bet that <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> would throw multiple looks at him, but expect <span>Paul Millsap</span>, <span>Elton Brand</span>, and even <span>Pero Antic</span> to take turns in attempting to slow him down.</p>
<p>From the Hawks standpoint, there are also some favorable things about this opponent. Even with the terrorizing Davis on the roster, the Pelicans are in the bottom-5 of the league on the defensive end (allowing more than 107 points per 100 possessions), and that should provide some freedom of movement for Atlanta, who still leads the league in assists per game at over 25 per contest. <span>Jeff Teague</span> had arguably his best game of the season against Toronto, and he could follow that up with a strong night here, especially given the problems that New Orleans has faced without <span>Jrue Holiday</span> in the lineup due to injury.</p>
<p>The Pelicans have a considerable amount of talent on their roster, but with guys like <span>Ryan Anderson</span> and the aforementioned Holiday out of the lineup for the remainder of the year, it is certainly a group that should be handled by the Hawks at home. If Davis can return to the lineup (and he likely will), New Orleans could still pose some issues given that he is that explosive in his own right, but without him, the Pelicans resemble even the East's bottom feeders, and that should set the stage for a very winnable game to extend the streak.</p>
<h3>Game Info</h3>
<p><b>Game Date/Time: </b>Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m.</p>
<p><b>Location:</b> Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia</p>
<p><b>TV: </b>SportSouth</p>
<p><b>Radio:</b> 92.9 "The Game" FM</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2014/3/21/5529510/pelicans-vs-hawks-preview-time-tv-radioBrad Rowland