The Hawks have learned several lessons the hard way this season. Add another to the growing list. Don’t leave Luke Babbitt wide open.
Babbitt hit a 3-pointer to end the third quarter and another to start the fourth quarter to ignite a 22-4 run by the Pelicans. It turned an eight-point deficit into a 10-point advantage.
Final result: Pelicans 111, Hawks 105.
The loss Friday night at Philips Arena snapped the Hawks’ five-game winning streak and prevented them from moving into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Hawks (31-36, 20-12 home) are now one game behind the idle Bobcats with 15 games remaining in regular season.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 26 points and eight assists. Paul Millsap (20 points), Shelvin Mack (18), Pero Antic (14) and Mike Scott (10) were the other double-digit scorers. Over last six games, Millsap is averaging 21.8 points.
The Hawks broke open a close game with a 13-1 third-quarter run and took a 69-61 lead. Then the Pelicans took over. They went on the 22-4 as Babbitt hit the back-to-back 3-pointers off the bench.
“They put in Luke Babbitt,” Hawks guard Shelvin Mack said of the difference in the game. “He was ready to play. We didn’t make the proper changes and he made us pay for it.”
The Hawks trimmed a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to as few as five before Babbitt hit another 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining and the Hawks were left to scramble. They got as close as four points in the final half minute.
The Pelicans (28-40, 12-23 road) were led by Anthony Davis had a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds. Tyreke Evans added 21 points. The Pelicans finished with a 42-point fourth quarter en route to the season-series sweep.
“We just weren’t aggressive enough,” Millsap said. “We didn’t execute. You name it, we didn’t do it. Just a complete mental breakdown. Something that we are just not used to doing.”
The teams entered the intermission tied 44-44. The Pelicans controlled much of the first half. They led by as many as eight points, 19-11, after an 11-2 first-quarter run.
The Hawks tied the game four times late in the second quarter but never took a lead.
The Hawks were full aware of the ability of Davis, who entered the game averaging 21.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
“We wanted him to make tough 2’s and that’s what he was doing,” Teague said of Davis. “He was making that step-back jumper that fall-away jumper. You just have to shake his hand and run back down the court. He made some tough shots. He is a great player. That’s what great players do.”
The Pelicans made 35 of 43 free throws, including 16 of 17 in the final quarter. Some of the fouls came as the Hawks were trying to close the gap late. However, sending the Pelicans to the line was part of their defensive issues, according to coach Mike Budenholzer.
“We’ve been making progress defensively,” Budenholzer said. “I think tonight in a lot of different areas we weren’t as good as we needed to be defensively, particularly fouling. At the end of the game there were obviously fouls but I think before that they went to the free-throw line 30, 31, 32 times before we started fouling and they were on pace for a 30-point fourth quarter.”
The Hawks played without starting guard Kyle Korver, who was a late scratch due to back spasms. Korver will receive treatment Saturday and his expected to travel with the team to Toronto for Sunday’s game against the Raptors. Should he travel, he will be listed as a game-time decision. With the injury, Lou Williams saw his first action after missing the previous seven games.
The Pelicans lost starting guard Eric Gordon to a left knee injury and he did not play the second half.
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