Bey's Bench Spark Powers Pelicans Past Hawks 121-99 for Second Straight Win

Saddiq Bey came off the bench to score a season-high 25 points and spark the New Orleans Pelicans to a 121-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night in New Orleans. Bey shot 9 of 13 from the field and added six rebounds as the Pelicans recorded a second straight win after opening the season with four defeats. Jeremiah Fears contributed 20 points and seven assists, while Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III added 15 points each for a home side that shot 56.6 percent from the field and scored 66 points in the paint. New Orleans set the tone early, racing to a 35-18 lead after the first quarter and stretching the advantage to 63-48 by half-time, and Atlanta never got closer than ten points again. The Hawks shot just 8 of 46 from three-point range and committed a season-high 19 turnovers that led to 34 Pelicans points. CJ McCollum scored 14 points against his former team, but Atlanta lost Jalen Johnson to a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter and reserve centre Jock Landale to a hip pointer after only 82 seconds. A late skirmish saw Atlanta's Kingston Flemings ejected. The Pelicans improved to 2-4, while the Hawks fell to 3-4 after losing four of five.