The New Orleans Pelicans lost their second straight preseason game on Monday, falling to the Atlanta Hawks by a 116-102 margin. John Collins (18 points), DeAndre Bembry (20 points) and Trae Young (11 points, eight assists) led the way for Atlanta.
Bigger than the meaningless loss, however, was needing to watch several Pelicans’ players leave the game early due to injury. Tonight, Frank Jackson and Julius Randle had their numbers called, but as we’ll get to, both are expected to be just fine going forward.
Prior to the maladies striking, New Orleans showed consistent pace offensively and fluid movement on the defensive side as they forced Atlanta into some tough decisions and several turnovers.