The New Orleans Pelicans have now lost nine in a row as the Atlanta Hawks took them down 115-98 at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday. While the Hawks got a comfortable win here, guard Vit Krejci wasn’t all too happy at the end of this game.
With the Hawks leading by 19 in the final moments, Krejci chose to run out the clock, but Pelicans rookie Derick Queen sneakily stole the ball from him and dunked on the other end. Queen broke one of the NBA’s unwritten rules by doing so, and left the Czech fuming.
The Hawks tried to run out the clock but Derik Queen had other plans 💀
(h/t @Fullcourtpass)pic.twitter.com/s1F18WNEGm
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 23, 2025
Krejci, who had 21 points (7-10 FG) and one rebound on the night, had shaken hands with Pelicans’ Bryce McGowens and was showing respect by choosing not to run up the score. He was understandably upset then that Queen would choose to do that, especially after he had turned away too. Micah Peavy even appeared to be telling his teammate not to dunk there, but he did it anyway.
Queen would claim that you should play until the buzzer, but there is a reason why we don’t see this happen all too often. It comes across as disrespectful, but then again, not everyone is of the same opinion when it comes to this subject.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul George once stated that all the unwritten rules in the NBA are stupid. Interestingly enough, George made those comments when he was asked about Pelicans’ Zion Williamson throwing down a windmill dunk against the Phoenix Suns in the closing stages of a game that was all but over back in 2022.
The Pelicans’ win over the Suns that day propelled them to the top of the standings in the Western Conference. It’s incredible just how much things have changed since then.
The Pelicans dropped to 2-15 with this latest loss and remain at the bottom of the pile in the West. They have the second-worst record in the NBA, and to make matters worse, they don’t have their first-round pick in 2026. That pick, of course, belongs to the Hawks. The Pelicans parted with it to move up and select Queen with the 13th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. It’s proving to be a terrible trade.
That’s not to say Queen hasn’t impressed. The 20-year-old had 20 points (6-14 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block against the Hawks.
Queen is now averaging 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26. There is a good chance he ends up making one of the All-Rookie teams, but he’ll have to become a superstar one day for the trade not to be looked back upon as a complete disaster for the Pelicans.
We’ll see Queen and the Pelicans in action next against the Chicago Bulls at Smoothie King Center on Monday at 8 PM ET.
As for the Hawks, they have improved to 10-7 and will take on the Charlotte Hornets at State Farm Arena on Sunday at 6 PM ET.
