On March 21, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued to unfold, the Pelicans challenged the Hawks away, and both teams happened to rank 10th in the East and West. In the game, the Pelicans took the lead, once taking a 19-point lead, after which the Hawks fought back and tied the point difference at one point, but finally Varansius' frontcourt rebounds became the key, and with Alvarado's two free throws, the Pelicans sealed the victory. In the end, the Pelicans beat the Hawks 117-112 to win two straight.
Both teams want to win this game because they are so far from the ninth team that they can move up to ninth if they win. In the play-offs, the ninth-placed team will play at home and can be cheered by the fans. This time the Pelicans were clearly more prepared, taking a 35-18 lead in the single quarter, once establishing a 19-point lead, after which the Hawks fought back and chased the score to 108 draws, but then they failed to seize the opportunity, and Varan grabbed the key offensive rebound, and the game lost suspense.
The Pelicans have not been very good in the past period of time, with only one win in six games before two consecutive wins, otherwise they would have reached the ninth place in the West and even had a chance to hit the eighth place. In addition to their own poor form, there was also the impact of injuries, with Ingram still absent and McCollum triggering a safety deal for some time. Fortunately, after adjustment, this NBA powerhouse has successfully recovered.
McCollum and Valanciunas were the key to the team's win this time against the Hawks, combining to score 51 points. Among them, Varan scored the highest points of 26 points, as well as 12 rebounds and 4 assists, and the offensive rebounds in the last minute were also very critical, without giving the Hawks the opportunity to equalize or reverse the score. McCollum didn't feel very good, shooting 9-of-26, 6-of-6 from three-point range, with 25 points and eight assists, and it was good to get him in the trade. In addition to them, Hayes had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Jones 11 points, Hernangomez 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Alvarado 15 points.
After two consecutive wins, the Pelicans have one more piece of good news, which is that they have officially come to the ninth place in the West. Today, the Pelicans' record is 30 wins and 41 losses, the same as the Lakers' record, due to the 1-0 lead in the confrontation record, so they successfully overtake. In the next schedule, the Pelicans and Lakers will play each other twice, which is key for both teams.