New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz Preview: The Battle Continues

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz Preview: Previous Matchups

Previous Matchups

What can we learn from the three games these teams played already this season? They are very evenly matched, but the biggest caveat is that we haven’t seen Zion Williamson against the Jazz yet.

Game 1 – 11/23/19, Utah 128 – New Orleans 120

The first game between the teams had the largest margin of victory with only eight points separating the winners from the losers that night. Perhaps foreshadowing the future meeting between the teams, Donovan Mitchell and Brandon Ingram dueled for the high score (37 to 33, respectively).

Both teams were without their main rim protectors, Rudy Gobert for Utah and Derrick Favors for New Orleans. Not that it mattered for the Jazz ,as they held the Pels to shooting just 41.6% from the field. On the other end, New Orleans got scorched allowing Utah to make 51.2% of their shots.

The New Orleans Pelicans were also without Josh Hart. His rebounding numbers from the shooting guard/small forward position will be needed in these “seeding games”. Lonzo Ball played in this game but was on a minutes restriction as this was just his second game back from a groin injury he sustained early in the season.

The final score makes the game look closer than it felt, the Jazz raced out to a fast start and led 28-9 at one point. While the Pels did bring it within four points with less than 40 seconds remaining, Utah was able to make each of the four free throws they were given to secure the win.

Game 2 – 1/6/20, Utah 128 – New Orleans 126

This one will be remembered for the call that wasn’t made. With Ingram attacking the basket in the closing seconds he was fouled by Gobert on his layup attempt but no whistle was blown. The referees, however, did stop the game to see if there should be any time remaining on the clock. This led to mass confusion in the arena as fans were left to wonder the outcome. In the end, the refs determined there should be no time left and ruled this one a Jazz victory.

In the last two minute report (L2M) released by the NBA the following day, it was noted that a foul should have been called and Ingram should have gone to the line with a chance to tie it but this was a day late and a dollar short,  as the result was already in the books.

Strong efforts from Ingram (35 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts), Lonzo (21 pts, 8 rebs, 7 asts), and Jrue (23 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast) was for naught on this night. The craziest stat line came courtesy of Bojan Bogdanovic who played 33 minutes and scored 35 points but didn’t record a single rebound, assist, block, or steal, numbers like that are straight out of NBA2K.

This was also the first time that Derrick Favors played against his former team. A bonus was the feeling he must have had right before the game ended, on the last possession for the Jazz, Favors blocked Gobert at the rim. There were about five seconds left when the block occurred, what a five seconds that must’ve felt like.

This game was played during the Pelicans phoenix-like rebirth that started just before Christmas when the team beat Minnesota and snapped a 13 game losing streak. New Orleans was 6-3 in the nine games between Minnesota and this one.

Game 3 – 1/16/20, New Orleans 138 – Utah 132

Played just 10 days after the Gobert no-call, the excitement was ratcheted up for this one. We got more than we paid for on this night, another duel between Ingram and Mitchell, and this game went into extra time after another crazy call (why don’t refs like the city of New Orleans?).

Ingram scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Pels to victory, not to be outdone Mitchell who had 46 of his own. It was a special night for Ingram as he came up big with about a month to play until the All-Star game (he would make his first career All-Star Team this season) and the team was without Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick.

The roles were finally reversed as New Orleans was the team to make over half their attempts (54.8%) and the Jazz were held below their season average with 46%. This game like many for the Pels this year, a barrage of three-pointers leading to quick bursts of high scoring runs.

Games two and three almost ended in very similar ways. With under 10 seconds to play the Jazz missed a shot and Ingram grabbed the rebound and started to charge up the floor. This time however the Pelicans called a timeout and set up a play. Ingram made a midrange jumper that reminded me a lot of the Kawhi Leonard shot that ended the 76ers last year.

Controversy struck again as the Jazz called a timeout with 0.2 seconds left in the game, the only play call here was a tip-in. Jaxson Hayes was whistled for holding Gobert away from the ball, sending him to the line with a chance to win it if he sank both free throws. Gobert would miss the first, now he could only send it to overtime.

Of course, he made it and we got an extra period. New Orleans got behind early in OT but got Gobert to foul out and went on to win it.