New Orleans Pelicans vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Picks - NBA

Prediction published on 1/7/26, 3:55 PM  by Paul Tamayo in NBA Picks

The Atlanta Hawks (24–16) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (18–23) in an NBA 2025–26 game on January 7, Wednesday, at the Smoothie King Center.

The Pelicans look to protect home court when they host the Hawks tonight, although Atlanta has had New Orleans’ number in recent matchups. This season, the teams have already met once, with the Hawks winning convincingly, 115–98, in November.

Moreover, the Pelicans have lost eight straight games, including a recent 111-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Trey Murphy III impressed with his game-high 42 markers, but he didn't have enough help from his teammates. 

The Pels also allowed the Lakers to make 50% of their shots, another testament to how bad their defense has been this season. Through 38 games, New Orleans have the third-worst defensive rating in the league (120.9).

As for the Hawks, they've lost back-to-back games to the Toronto Raptors by an average margin of 17.5 points. It doesn't help that they're bombarded by reports of star Trae Young wanting a trade out.

Young, who is dealing with a quad injury, is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game. Meanwhile, the Pelicans will be without Saddiq Bey and Dejounte Murray, with Herb Jones listed day-to-day.