To be honest, the game should have never been this close. New Orleans is a team that has playoff aspirations. Atlanta is fighting to not have the worst record in the league. New Orleans is 12th in the league in PPG (107.5). Atlanta is ranked 23rd (102.5). New Orleans is 13th in defensive rating. Atlanta is 25th.
See where I’m going with this?
Looking at these aspects alone, it would be a reasonable hypothesis to say the Pelicans should breeze to a win. However, as we all know, this was not the case.
In a 106-105 victory over the Hawks, NOLA struggled mightily, specifically on defense.