How the game was won: The Hawks played stifling defense in the first half. They held the Pelicans to season-lows by opponents for points in the first quarter (15), second quarter (13) and half (28). The Pelicans shot 6 of 17 in the first quarter (35.3 percent) and 5 of 20 (25 percent) in the second quarter. Jeff Teague led the Hawks offense with 26 points.
Turning point: The Hawks closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead into intermission, 41-28.
Number: 5. First-half points by the Pelicans' Anthony Davis. The All-Star entered the game as the NBA's second-leading scorer at 25.4 points a game. He was 1 of 6 from the field.
Next: The Hawks are back at home Saturday with a Southeast Division game against the Hornets.
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