Playing a superb game on both ends of the floor, the New Orleans Pelicans ended Atlanta's 19-game winning streak.
NEW ORLEANS -- It's a common trope of game stories to focus on a moment or a key sequence that turns the tide, establishes momentum and ties everything up into a neat little package. The problem is that basketball rarely works like that, especially when it involves a team like the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks don't really do moments. They do runs, or more accurately, stretches where everyone plays as if connected on an invisible string. Their genius has been in extending those stretches from a quick blast of excitement into sustained march to yet another victory. Their play the last few months have turned the cold winter doldrums of the NBA season into a kind of performance art.
They had won 19 in a row with their last loss coming all the way back in 2014 and even that doesn't do it justice. Going all the way back to Nov. 26, they had won 33 of 35, which would have felt impossible if we all hadn't watched it unfold with metronomic consistency.
To beat the Hawks, the Pelicans had to not only disrupt Atlanta's rhythm, they had to create moments for themselves out of the chaos. "When we don't do things at our pace we don't make as many shots," Atlanta forward Paul Millsap said. "When they make everything ..."
What you get is a 115-100 New Orleans victory that only felt close because of who the Hawks have become and who the Pels are trying to be. Except for a handful of stretches where the Hawks looked like themselves, the Pelicans dominated the game. They turned the pace and space symmetry within which the Hawks thrive inside out, creating a jumbled series of plays that built into its own fully-formed portrait.
Late in the first half after Atlanta had trimmed the lead to a manageable six points, Anthony Davis stepped out and drained a 20-footer and the blocked a Jeff Teague three at the other end. Davis, who is the king of chaos, had a half-dozen plays like this all on his own.
In the third quarter after Eric Gordon picked up his fourth foul, Tyreke Evans banked in a three from the top of the arc. Later he picked Teague, initiated a break and found a streaking Dante Cunningham for a transition jam. Omer Asik grabbed a loose ball and slammed home a dunk that was the proverbial exclamation point.
"I am really pleased with how we're playing and how we're growing," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "On the floor, in our practices and in our shootarounds. We set a bar. We said that over a month ago. When we play a certain way we give ourselves a chance to win. That involves great effort, everybody on the same page on defense and we share the ball on offense we can compete with anybody in the NBA. We're excited about the ceiling of our team and we just have to keep pushing."
This was the Pelicans at their best, and they have been very good lately, winners of six of their last seven including an impressive win over the Clippers last Friday without Davis and Jrue Holiday in the lineup. This was the Hawks at their not so best.
"Give them credit," Millsap said. "They played good basketball today and we didn't."
Technically, it meant forcing the Hawks off the three-point line. Williams tilted his defense toward slowing down Kyle Korver and employed Dante Cunningham and Quincy Pondexter, a pair of no-frills vets brought in by general manager Dell Demps over the last few weeks, to limit Korver's touches. Korver had only seven shot attempts and the Hawks shot 32 percent from behind the arc.
"We just felt like he's a key to their team," Williams said. "When he makes a threes it's like a dunk for his team. It gives them so much energy."
It meant limiting second-chance opportunities, which inevitably lead to high percentage shots after the defense is forced to scramble and adjust to all of Atlanta's shooters. The Pels controlled the boards, grabbing 80 percent of the available defensive rebounds and holding a +20 margin overall on the glass.
On offense, it involved a balanced effort that had six players score in double figures thanks to 30 assists. Evans, who has quietly become an efficient playmaker while Holiday recovers from an injury, had 12 assists. It was his fourth game in his last five with that many.
"He's starting to understand that he can be a facilitator and still score," Williams said. "He can dominate games without scoring 30. He can score 10 points and have double figure assists."
This was an important game for the Pelicans, who are stubbornly hanging around the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They've benefited from a long homestand that concludes with an even bigger game against Oklahoma City on Wednesday. After a quick stop in OKC Friday, they return home for three more games heading into the All-Star break.
This is their chance to make a move and after beating the Hawks, they sit only a game behind Phoenix for the eighth spot, tied in the loss column. This is also their chance to establish a connection with their city, which has been building slowly but steadily the last few seasons. The arena wasn't sold out, but it was loud and the young Pels feed off it.
"Our fans the last few games at home have given a different energy here and it gets our guys excited," Williams said. "Our guys have been on the road and they've been to Portland, Golden State, San Antonio where it's 18,000 and those fans are giving them great energy. Our fans are starting to see how we can play when we pack it out."
As big as it was for the Pels, it almost felt inevitable for the Hawks. They had been scrapping together wins lately, escaping against Portland and Philly before finally dropping this one. That happens in the NBA, it just hasn't happened to them recently. But you don't win 19 in a row and 33 of 35 without having a balanced perspective. The Hawks seemed fine shaking this one off.
"We've got to play a certain way to win games," Millsap said. "We're not going to let one game deter us. It's a washed game for us. Let it go. Regroup tomorrow and see what happens."
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