Pelicans Beat Hawks 121-99: Bey Scores 25 Off the Bench and Fears Adds 20 for a Second Straight Win
New Orleans started 0-4. The turnaround has a bench scorer and a young point guard at its center: Saddiq Bey's season-high 25 against his old team, and Jeremiah Fears' second straight 20-point game.
Saddiq Bey scored 25 points in a reserve role and Jeremiah Fears added 20 as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-99 on Saturday night, the Associated Press reported — the Pelicans' second straight victory after losing their first four games. Bey, who spent parts of two seasons with Atlanta, went 9-for-13 from the field with six rebounds and a season-high four steals, against his former team.
The game was decided early. New Orleans raced to a 35-18 lead in the first quarter, shooting 56 percent and turning eight Hawks turnovers into 16 points, and led by as many as 28 on the night. The Pelicans shot 56.6 percent (43 of 76) with 66 points in the paint. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III each scored 15, and Fears — 9-of-12 shooting with seven assists — reached 20 points for the second straight game while leading the team in assists.
CJ McCollum, playing in New Orleans for the first time since the Pelicans traded him to Washington in June 2025, scored 14 points for Atlanta (3-4). The win also ended New Orleans' four-game losing streak against the Hawks. Atlanta regroups Monday at Indiana.
