The Atlanta Hawks have lost more games than anyone else in the Eastern Conference.
On Monday, they added another.
The latest, Atlanta’s 12th this season, was delivered by the New Orleans Pelicans 106-105 in late, dejecting, self-inflicted fashion.
The 2-12 Hawks, who finished their three-game road trip to Detroit, Washington and New Orleans 0-3 and have lost four in a row. They roared to a sharp-shooting start and held a lead through a whooping majority of the first two quarters.
Swiping as large as a 14-point lead against the towering Pelicans, the Hawks scored just 18 points in the second quarter, and, somehow, maintained a five-point lead at the halftime horn.
Two quarters later, they trailed by one point with 0.7 seconds remaining.
With less than a second to go, Kent Bazemore couldn't release a 3-point shot in time and the Hawks' losing streak continued. The Hawks trailed by the same margin on the previous possession but committed a turnover late in the shot clock. Bazemore led the Hawks with 22 points.
The Hawks' offense set Atlanta up with a chance to win, providing 17 made 3-pointers on 36 attempts, marking a new season high from long range.
Then came the Pelicans, roaring and thundering behind their massive All-Star tag-team, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and, surprisingly, shooting guard E'Twaun Moore and backup forward Darius Miller.
Cousins and Davis, who have both posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in an NBA-best nine games this season for any duo, added No. 9 on Monday. Cousins slashed and shot his way toward 22 points. Davis posted 13 and 10 rebounds.
Then there was Moore and Miller. Moore lead all scorers with 24 points and Miller, the Pelicans' rangy reserve forward, who added 21 off the bench on a 5 of 8 night from 3-point range.
Tasked with possibly his toughest day of work this season, Hawks 7-foot center Dewayne Dedmon posted 11 points and six rebounds before running into foul trouble. Dedmon played a mere 12 minutes, depleting the Hawks' frontcourt against Cousins and Davis.
The Hawks’ loss is their 12th in their last 13 games and New Orleans' second consecutive win at the Smoothie King Center.
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