The New Orleans Pelicans and the Atlanta Hawks both ended brief losing streaks by winning Thursday night.

The Pelicans (1-4) defeated the visiting Sacramento Kings 132-120 and the Hawks (3-3) ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 114-111.

Either New Orleans or Atlanta will get a winning streak going when the teams meet at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Smoothie King Center.

The Pelicans broke through for their first win as Jeremiah Fears had a breakout game after starting the season as slowly as the entire team had.

Fears played a season-high 29-plus minutes and took advantage by accumulating other season-highs in points (22), shooting percentage (56), 3-pointers (three, on five attempts), assists (a career-high 13), rebounds (eight), steals (two) and even blocks (a career-high four, which the 6-foot-4 called “a pretty cool stat” when informed of it).

“He has a competitive spirit like not many that I have seen,” Mosley said. “It’s how badly he wants to impact winning. It’s just his tenacity, his will and want to win, and that’s what you see in him every single day.”

Fears, who played in all 82 games as a 19-year-old rookie last season, began this season paired with Dejounte Murray in the backcourt as Mosley experimented with having his top two point guards side by side in the starting lineup.

But Murray wasn’t available Thursday as he was with his family after the birth of his son and he might not return in time for the game against the Hawks. In Murray’s absence, Fears thrived as the only point guard with backup Jordan Poole sidelined by an ankle injury that has his availability for Saturday also uncertain.

“The kid works so hard,” Mosley said of Fears. “We’ve said that from the beginning when we first got together with him. He studies film and has the ability to work himself overtime and to stay with it.”

Fears was one of the leaders in New Orleans making 18 steals, causing 25 turnovers that led to a franchise-record 40 points off turnovers against the Kings.

“He’s had to play on the ball, off the ball, defensively guarding the guards but also some bigs,” Mosley said of Fears. “He’s been able to switch in certain situations. … Our defense ignited our offense and that’s how we want to play night in and night.”

Mosley also was pleased with the way the team shared the ball against Sacramento. Fears said the coaching kept preaching to the team about getting 30 assists in the game and it finished with 32 on 50 baskets.

The Hawks lineup features a few faces that are familiar to fans in the Smoothie King Center. Atlanta starts three former Pelicans guards – CJ McCollum (2022-25), who will be playing against his former team for the first time; Dyson Daniels (2022-24) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2019-22).

Alexander-Walker leads Atlanta in scoring (20.5 points per game) and McCollum (14.5) and Daniels (10.7) are also among the team’s six players averaging in double figures.