Jan 5, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) jump for the opening tip during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Dennis Schroder scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 99-94 on Thursday night to win their fifth straight, even as shooting guard Kyle Korver spent the entire game on the bench amid reports he could be traded.
Paul Millsap had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who trailed by three after Anthony Davis' dunk with 3:51 left before outscoring New Orleans 14-6 the rest of the way. Dwight Howard added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14.
Davis had 20 points and 19 rebounds for New Orleans, which has lost its last two. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and Buddy Hield scored 15 for the Pelicans, who shot only 36.6 percent (34 of 93) for the game.
Atlanta matched its biggest lead at 83-76 on Kris Humphries' layup with 7:50 to go in regulation. The Pelicans began to close the gap when Davis converted a two-handed reverse layup of Holiday's alley-oop lob. That started a 12-2 run that included 3s by Holiday and Hield, along with Davis' emphatic dunk and his two free throws.
Hardaway Jr. tied it with a 3, however, and after Hield's miss of a driving layup, the Hawks patiently worked the perimeter until finding Schroder for an open 3 that he buried with 1:13 to go to put Atlanta back in the lead.
Hield missed another driving layup attempt on New Orleans' next possession, and Millsap hit an 18-foot jumper to make it a five-point game with 38 seconds left. The Pelicans never got within three after that.
The Pelicans led by as many as 12 when Hield's 3 made it 43-31 with 4:04 left in the first half.
Atlanta cut its deficit to five points by halftime with a 7-2 spurt that included Schroder's 3 and a pair of jumpers by Mike Muscala, but New Orleans still led by eight in the third quarter before Atlanta went on a 12-2 run, capped by Hardaway's 3, to move back in front.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Malcolm Delaney scored three of his seven points on free throws in the final second of the third quarter after being fouled from behind by Solomon Hill on a transition 3-point attempt that he was trying to get off before the horn in a tie game. ... Atlanta is 2-0 on its four-game road trip and 10-9 on the road overall this season.
Pelicans: Terrence Jones had 12 points and 11 rebounds. ... New Orleans had its four-game home winning streak snapped. ... The Pelicans play their next five on the road, where they are 4-12 this season.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Visit Dallas on Saturday night.
Pelicans: Visit Boston on Saturday night.
