Lauri Markkanen had a game-high in points. Jordan Clarkson was on fire and kept the Jazz in the game.
But in the end, it was Kelly Olynyk who played the hero.
Olynyk hit a running, off-balance, finger-roll layup with 3.1 seconds left as Utah remained undefeated following their 122-121 overtime victory over New Orleans on Sunday night.
"Our team has got heart," head coach Will Hardy said. "We got some stuff to clean up, we got some things to work on. … But we got heart for sure. Another night, another different closing lineup. … Welcome to Team 49."
It may just be his third game as an NBA head coach, but Hardy continues to push the right buttons.
After CJ McCollum gave the Pelicans a one-point lead with 8.4 seconds remaining, Hardy called a timeout to draw up a play. He wanted to put the ball in the hands of Olynyk, believing the veteran big man would be able to execute when it mattered most.
With Olynyk getting the inbounds pass, Mike Conley and Markkanen both made runs off him, forcing New Orleans to switch. With the smaller McCollum on him, Olynyk drove to his left, got in the lane, and at 6-foot-11, rose above the 6-foot-4 McCollum and finished for the game-winner.
"Kelly is so good with the ball in his hands, he's able to read whether to hand it off or keep it," Hardy said. "Kelly knew that he had choices. … He made the right read, ended up in the middle of the floor with an iso. He's a little bit of a magician. … Not sure a scoop down the middle of the lane was what we saw coming."
Before the drama unfolded in the end, Markkanen was sensational through three quarters.
He was utterly unstoppable with his ability to shoot over anyone at 7-feet tall, constantly getting into the lane to hit pull-up jumpers or knocking down shots from deep. But where he really thrived was his ability to get to the rim, finding himself open with perfectly timed cuts to the hoop.
Markkanen finished with another double-double of 31 points and 12 rebounds, adding two assists and two steals.
As New Orleans mounted a massive comeback in the fourth quarter, Clarkson kept the Jazz afloat.
His ability to score in isolation and get to the rim was big. His handles are among the best in the league, and they were on full display, constantly finding openings where it looked like no shot was available.
Clarkson finished with 18 points and six assists.
The opening 12 minutes was a back-and-forth affair, with each team knocking down shots from deep and getting to the rim for tough finishes. It turned into a Markkanen-Brandon Ingram battle as they combined for 24 points (14 for Markkanen), showing tremendous shot-making ability.
After Rudy Gay opened up the second with a three-pointer, giving Utah a five-point lead, the Pelicans settled in. Zion Williamson found a rhythm as they rolled off a 13-3 run to take a five-point lead midway through.
Led by Jarred Vanderbilt's play on both ends of the court, the Jazz responded with a 14-4 run of their own — taking a 63-53 lead at the half.
The third quarter was back-and-forth, with Utah stretching its lead to 13 at one point. However, the Pelicans found a rhythm on offense and cut the deficit to seven, but Malik Beasley hit a tough shot at the buzzer to give the Jazz a 93-84 lead heading to the fourth.
New Orleans continued that offensive rhythm, going on a 20-3 run to tie the game at 105 with two minutes to go. Clarkson and McCollum then had a one-on-one showdown, scoring five points each to send the game to overtime tied at 110.
The final five minutes were like the rest of the game, with each team trading buckets and never being separated by more than one possession. But a Clarkson three-pointer, Markkanen's free throw shooting, and Olynyk's heroics pulled out the win.
"The fourth quarter got hard, we could not make a shot," Hardy said. "Our guys stuck with it and stayed the course. This group is fun. … They stuck together, and they root for each other."
Olynyk finished with 20 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Vanderbilt added 14 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Conley added seven points and eight assists, while Walker Kessler chipped in eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
Utah faces Houston on Monday night at 6 p.m. before returning home for a showdown with the same Rockets on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. You can purchase tickets HERE.