The Atlanta Hawks completed a never-ending road trip on Friday with their eighth consecutive game away from home. Before tip-off, the story of the night was the injury report on both sides. The Hawks were missing Trae Young, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and Kris Dunn, with the Pelicans missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Steven Adams and Josh Hart. As such, there were roster challenges for each squad but, in the end, the Hawks were simply the better team on the way to a 126-103 road victory.
Though the Hawks scored first, the Pelicans zoomed to a 10-3 lead, prompting an early timeout from Nate McMillan.