Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Match Preview - October 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Atlanta Hawks are back on the road on Wednesday (October 27) as they visit the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. The Hawks and Pelicans are both coming off big wins against the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively.
Atlanta hosted the Pistons on Monday (October 25) at State Farm Arena for their second home game of the season. The Hawks were up early in the game and pulled away in the second half for a comfortable 122-104 win. Trae Young led the Hawks with a near double-double performance.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans finally won their first game of the season on Monday. New Orleans was on the second night of a home-and-home series against the Timberwolves. They defeated Minnesota 107-98 away at Target Center behind a huge game from Jonas Valanciunas.
Heading back home with a win!
#WBD | @HancockWhitney https://t.co/OrRCrQGSbr
Match Details
Fixture: Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Pelicans | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 27th, 7:30 PM ET (Thursday, October 28th, 5:00 AM IST).
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA.
Atlanta Hawks Preview
With the win on Monday, the Atlanta Hawks improved to 2-1 for the season. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener, but followed it up with a poor outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks were back to winning ways against the Pistons.
In the 122-104 win, Trae Young led the Hawks with 32 points, four rebounds and nine assists while John Collins added 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Kevin Huerter, who was filling in for the sick De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic each had 14 points, while Cam Reddish contributed 17 points off the bench.
Hunter missed the game against Detroit due to a non-COVID illness and is likely to return for the Pelicans game. Huerter, however, is expected to get the start if Hunter is unavailable.
The Hawks are a young team and have incredible depth, which makes them capable of winning every night.
Key Player – Trae Young
The Atlanta Hawks were two wins away from the NBA Finals last season. Trae Young carried the Hawks all throughout the playoffs, but he missed Game 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a bone bruise in his right foot. Young returned for Game 6, but the Hawks were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the playoffs, Young averaged 28.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. This season, he has averaged 25.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 10.0 assists. The Hawks are now expected to be playoff contenders once again.
Against the Pelicans, Trae Young has to keep up his excellent start. He knows he can score anytime, but it is important for him to get the rest of his teammates positively involved for the team to beat New Orleans on Monday.
Took care of business. https://t.co/KW79IWFRtt
Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup
G - Trae Young | G - Bogdan Bogdanovic | F - De'Andre Hunter | F - John Collins | C - Clint Capela.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans earned their first win of the season on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans lost their first three games of the season to the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves.
New Orleans will be playing without their best player, Zion Williamson, who is out due to offseason foot surgery. Williamson's return is still uncertain, so the New Orleans Pelicans will have to keep it together without their star man.
In the 107-98 win at Minnesota, Jonas Valanciunas had a huge game with 22 points and 23 rebounds. Brandon Ingram scored a team-high 27 points with nine rebounds and one assist. Devonte' Graham and Nickeil Alexender-Walker put up 21 and 17 points, respectively.
Key Player – Brandon Ingram
In the absence of Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans will have to rely on Brandon Ingram to keep the team afloat. Ingram is a former All-Star and Most Improved Player who can score at will.
Ingram has to have a career year for the New Orleans Pelicans to have a shot at making the playoffs. He has averaged 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season.
In the win over the Timberwolves, Ingram had a total of 27 points to lead the New Orleans Pelicans in scoring. He scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half, which included a dunk late in the fourth quarter to stop a Timberwolves run.
Ingram, along with Valaciunas and Alexander-Walker, will need to have a big game if the Pels are to win against the Atlanta Hawks.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
G - Devonte' Graham | G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker | F - Herb Jones | F - Brandon Ingram | C - Jonas Valanciunas.
Hawks vs Pelicans Match Prediction
The Atlanta Hawks have a stronger roster than the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks have a really deep team while the Pelicans are missing their best player in Zion Williamson. Nevertheless, New Orleans are coming off their first win of the season and will take the game to the Atlanta Hawks. If the Pels are at their competitive best, this could be a fantastic contest.
Where to watch Hawks vs Pelicans?
The Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Pelicans game will be nationally televised on ESPN. The game can also be live streamed on the NBA League Pass. Meanwhile, local fans can tune in at Bally Sports Southeast-Atlanta.