Pelicans handle Hawks to complete perfect road trip

The road warriors continue to prove their mettle away from home.

The New Orleans Pelicans grabbed the lead for good late in the first quarter and never relinquished it in a 113-100 win Sunday evening over the Hawks in Atlanta.

The outcome was never in doubt as New Orleans led by as many as 22 points and were never threatened, maintaining a solid working margin throughout.

Once again, bench play was decisive for the Pelicans.

Trey Murphy III pumped in 28 points in 30 minutes, including sinking 6-of-13 from 3-point range. Murphy has now made six or more 3-pointers in four of his last six games, scoring 26 or more points in all four of those games.

The Pelicans were terrific from distance, making 14-of-27 (51.9%) from beyond the arc.

New Orleans shot 57.3 percent from the field (43-of-75).

Atlanta made 17 shots from 3-point range to keep itself in the game.

New Orleans got 51 points from its reserves, including 10 points from Larry Nance Jr., outscoring Atlanta reserves 51-20.

Zion Williamson was outstanding, scoring 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. Williamson added seven assists, six rebounds and two blocked shots with just one turnover in 36 minutes.

CJ McCollum had 20 points, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.

The Pelicans dominated in points in the paint by a 56-38 margin.

The win was the fourth straight for New Orleans, fifth in the Western Conference, and it was an excellent evening overall. The four-game win streak is the longest current win streak for any NBA team.

The Pelicans made up a game on the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers, who lost to Milwaukee 124-117. As a result, the Pelicans are two-and-half games behind the Clippers, who come to New Orleans next Friday night in the second game of a three-game homestand for the Pelicans.

New Orleans also got help from Houston, who defeated Sacramento 112-104 as the Kings fell two-and-a-half games behind the Pelicans.

With the win, the Pelicans are now a season-best 14 games over .500 at 39-25, including 21-13 on the road, with 18 games to play.

The homestand begins Wednesday night against the second place Eastern Conference team in Cleveland, currently 41-22.

After the Clippers play here Friday night, the homestand will conclude with Portland Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back.