Hawks vs Pelicans: Spread and Final Score Predictions

Who will win tonight's game between the Hawks and the Pelicans?

Nov 3, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts to making a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks enter Monday's game vs the New Orleans Pelicans on a three-game winning streak and they have a perfect opportunity to extend it to four. The Pelicans have been perhaps the unluckiest team in the NBA this season when it comes to injuries and they are still super banged up heading into this game. Not only that, New Orleans played in New York last night and was blown out by the Knicks. The Hawks had the day off yesterday after winning on Saturday vs the Hornets.

This has been a game that has been circled on the calendar for both teams since the NBA schedule was officially released. This is going to be the first game that Dejounte Murray has played in Atlanta since being traded to New Orleans in the summer.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 15th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 27th in turnovers, and 8th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 19th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 14th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions and 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

A lot of it is due to injuries, but the Pelicans have been one of the worst teams in the NBA and the stats show it. New Orleans is 30th in PPG, 28th in FG%, 28th in 3PA, 27th in 3P%, 25th in FTA, 16th in rebounding and 18th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans are 29th in points per 100 possessions, 30th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 8th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 25th in free throw rate.

Defensively, New Orleans is 23rd in PPG allowed, 27th in FG% allowed, 24th in 3PA allowed, and 27th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans are 29th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young has been playing really well lately, but did not make a huge impact on the game vs the Hornets on Saturday. He scored 14 points and got five assists and only shot the ball nine times. Young has been more of a facilitator this year and setting his teammates up and that has led to him leading the NBA in assists.

Dyson Daniels has set the tone for the Hawks defensively this season and did the same on Saturday. He will be tasked with guarding either Murray or C.J. McCollum tonight and not allowing them to get hot scoring. Daniels will look to get his scoring back on track as he has not been in double-digits in the past two games.

Zaccharie Risacher continues to get better and better and has put together two really nice games back-to-back. He played 25 minutes on Saturday and shot 6-10 (2-4 three) and had 14 points, as well as two blocks. He is progressing nicely and is making winning plays on both ends of the court.

Jalen Johnson is starting to make his case to be an All-Star this season. He scored 20 points on 9-12 shooting Saturday and also had nine assists. He has scored at least 20 points in five straight games and he should be able to get what he wants vs the Pelicans tonight.

Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu will be facing rookie center Yves Missi tonight and while both centers have not been consistent, they both played well on Saturday. Capela played 19 minutes on Saturday and scored 4 points and brought in 14 rebounds while Okongwu had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hawks bench has been awesome in their winning streak and after not playing on Saturday, Bogdan Bogdanovic should be back tonight. De'Andre Hunter continued to play well and scored 18 points on Saturday, and Kobe Bufkin is starting to look more comfortable in his role. The Hawks have rolled with a nine-man rotation this season when healthy and that likely stays the same unless they get a big enough lead on New Orleans.

Odds

The Hawks are 9.5 favorites coming into tonight's game according to Fanduel Sportsbook and the total is set at 229.5.

Prediction

The Hawks have dropped some bad games to bad teams this year, but this would be the worst loss of the season. New Orleans is playing on the second night of a back to back with travel and have been one of the NBA's worst teams this season. The Hawks are a healthier team and starting to play well. I like the Hawks to win this game and get their fourth straight win.

Final Score: Hawks 118, Pelicans 107

Additional Links:

Atlanta Hawks Have Massive Opportunity In Front Of Them Against Marquee Opponents This Week

Updated Eastern Conference Standings: Hawks Winning Streak Has Them in Striking Distance Of Top Four Seed