The New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks have both been dealing with significant injuries to key players.
When they face off Sunday in New Orleans, both teams will feature makeshift lineups. The Pelicans are feeling optimistic after breaking a three-game losing streak with a home victory against Indiana on Friday. Meanwhile, despite the Hawks’ fourth consecutive loss against Sacramento the same night, they found some encouragement in their performance.
New Orleans overcame a slow start against the Pacers, riding on the stellar performances of Zion Williamson, who had 34 points and 10 assists, and Brandon Ingram, who scored 26 points, leading to a 125-118 victory.
Coach Green will continue to use a patchwork lineup as Dejounte Murray (hand), CJ McCollum (adductor), Herbert Jones (shoulder/rotator cuff), and Trey Murphy III (hamstring) are all out for multiple weeks. Williamson bounced back from a poor shooting night against Golden State (5 of 20) to make 14 of 20 shots against Indiana.
Jordan Hawkins (23 points), despite back soreness that sidelined him for part of the third quarter, and Jose Alvarado (12 points) stepped up after being thrust into the starting lineup. Brandon Boston Jr. added 14 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
The Hawks relied on several players stepping into larger roles against Sacramento, missing starters De’Andre Hunter (knee) and former Pelican Dyson Daniels (hip) as well as rotation players Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Vit Krejci (thigh), and Kobe Bufkin (shoulder).
As Williamson and Ingram led the Pelicans, Hawks star Trae Young also stepped up, scoring 25 points and dishing out 12 assists. Coach Snyder praised Young’s “mental toughness” in handling the increased responsibilities. Â
Garrison Mathews made a career-high seven three-pointers, scoring 23 points off the bench for Atlanta. Â Both teams will look to their depth and resilience as they battle through these early-season injuries
