"It'll be 44 days before New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen faces the Atlanta Hawks again, but he already has extra motivation for the matchup. The connection between Atlanta and New Orleans runs deep in pro sports. The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints are NFC South rivals, and while the Hawks and Pelicans don't technically share a rivalry in the NBA, some of that same energy carries over when the two cities meet on the court."
"The Falcons defeated the Saints 24-10 on Sunday in New Orleans. On the Saints' final drive, Falcons defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro sacked quarterback Tyler Shough with just under a minute remaining in the game. Atlanta celebrated the play by posting Orhorhoro's celebration with the caption: "Marked safe from Derik Queen," referring to the Pelicans rookie. Queen caught wind of the virtual jab, reposting it on X with the time and date of the Pelicans' next matchup against the Hawks."
"The Pelicans a cquired Queen after trading their No. 23 pick in the 2025 NBA draft and an unprotected 2026 first round pick for the Hawks' No. 13 pick, which was used to select Queen. The former Maryland Terrapins center acknowledged that when replying to X's Grok AI's explanation of the Falcons' post. The two teams will square off on Jan. 7, 2026 for the second time after the Hawks defeated the Pelicans 115-98 on Saturday."
Derik Queen will face the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 7, 2026, after responding to an Atlanta Falcons social-media post that read "Marked safe from Derik Queen." The Falcons celebrated Ruke Orhorhoro's sack of Saints quarterback Tyler Shough with that caption. Queen reposted the Falcons' post on X and added the Pelicans' next game time and date. The Pelicans acquired Queen by trading the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta for the No. 13 pick. Queen recorded 20 points, nine rebounds and two steals in the recent game, marking his third straight 20-point performance.
Read at ESPN.com
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