New Orleans Pelicans fall short against Utah Jazz in Game Two of NBA Summer League

The New Orleans Pelicans lost their second NBA Summer League Game in a row, this time to the Utah Jazz 79-72.

Most people go into Las Vegas with hopes and dreams as far as the eye can see.

For the New Orleans Pelicans, the first two games of the NBA Summer League have been the exact opposite.

The Pelicans lost their second straight summer league game tonight against the Utah Jazz 79-72. New Orleans put up a much better performance than their first loss, however it still failed to result in victory.

Buddy Hield had quite the odd game. For the first three-and-a-half quarters, Hield struggled mightily once again from the field. Going into the final five minutes of the game, Buddy was shooting 3-13.

Then, the first “Buddy” moment of summer league occurred. Hield made his next four attempts in a row, all of which were three-pointers. It quickly turned a ten-point deficit into just one. The crowd electrified, the team got excited and the feeling of Buddy getting hot started to spread just like it did during the NCAA Tournament.

He went on to miss his final three attempts from the game to finish with 21 points on 7-20 shooting and 5-14 from behind the arc. Hield did have seven rebounds and two assists, but his overall game was not great.

Buddy Hield struggled to stay in rhythm on offense, even if his passing out of drives was decent. When he wasn’t scoring the basketball, he didn’t have much an impact on spacing the floor. On defense, it was a disaster. Hield got caught multiple times over-helping and giving his man open shots from behind the arc. It played into Utah’s 35.5% shooting from behind the three-point line.

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Once again, the best stat line out of a Pelicans Summer League game came from the second-round pick, Chieck Diallo. Diallo shined in his 12 point, 11 rebound performance that was highlighted by his four blocks on the defensive end. His effort and long reach showed all night, with his ability to interrupt any of the Jazz’s bigs from doing much damage when he was on the floor.

What was even more impressive for Diallo was his offensive production. In transition, he blew past his defenders and found easy opportunities at the rim uncontested. Even when he was contested, he used a surprising amount of dribble and post moves to get open shots at the rim. The fact he only had one foul and zero turnovers just shows how well he impacted the game.

Unfortunately for the New Orleans Pelicans, everyone else on the roster joined Buddy in a struggling effort.

Larry Drew II had a rough game in general, with just five points and six assists. His assists were counteracted by three turnovers and his poor shooting. He never looked comfortable against Utah’s guards.

David Lighty Jr. had a decent game, scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Still, he made no impact anywhere else on the floor, with one rebound and three fouls in over 23 minutes.

Liam McMorrow started and scored six points, four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. He wasn’t bad, however he didn’t really exhibit anything promising for NBA teams. Just was there to fill the center void.

Most of the bench performers had an even tougher night.

Alex Olah did have five rebounds and two blocks. The problem was his complete lack of any offensive game, missing all three shots and failing to space the floor or run a pick-and-roll in his 15 minutes.

Ryan Boatright struggled, shooting 0-4 from the field and turning the ball over twice. For a guard who played next to Kemba Walker in college, he did not shine in the spotlight.

K.T. Harrell once again only played six minutes and failed to score a point. Not good for his NBA stock.

Cat Barber did not play until the second half, but didn’t show anything to prove he should have started. Four points and three fouls in seven minutes will not do the trick. Neither will a -12 +/- rating.

While many struggled, two names that did not have great game one’s seemed to rebound.

Nick Minnerath scored five points, three rebounds and three fouls. Those numbers are not great, however his involvement in the offense was positive, as it seemed the players moved the ball quicker and got better shots when he was on the floor.

The surprise of the game was Vladimir Jankovic, who did not play in the first game of summer league. Jankovic was the leading scorer off the bench with six points, making two of his four three-pointers. Sure, his other stats were mediocre, however this is a league where having a specialty can get you a job. Jankovic shot the ball better than any other Pelican tonight. That has to be a positive.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans trade Luke Babbitt

The New Orleans Pelicans will try to turn around their struggles in the final game before the bracket-style tournament begins, as they’ll play the Sacramento Kings. The game is tomorrow at 9 P.M. CST on ESPN2. The Kings have also lost their first two games of the NBA Summer League. A win would do wonders for the Pelicans confidence once the single-elimination tournament begins.