The Roundup—Jazz 94, Pelicans 106

The Jazz came out flat in the first half for the third straight game, digging a hole they couldn’t quite climb out of as they fell 106-94 to the New Orleans Pelicans at EnergySolutions Arena Saturday night.

The Jazz trailed by as many as 19 in the first half before cutting the Pelicans’ lead to five at the end of the third quarter. In the end, though, there was just too much Anthony Davis, who seemed to have an answer each time the Jazz started to build some momentum. New Orleans’ star power forward finished with 43 points (shooting 16-for-23 from the field and 11-for-12 from the line), 14 rebounds, two steals and a block.

Jrue Holiday, who finished with 19 points and eight assists, was the only other Pelicans player to score in double figures.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 31 points, while Trey Burke had his best shooting night of the season, going 8-for-11 from the field for 20 points. Derrick Favors scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Trevor Booker scored 10 points off the bench.

The Pelicans took 22 more shots than the Jazz thanks to a pair of 18s on the stat sheet—Utah’s 18 turnovers and New Orleans’ 18 offensive rebounds. 

After a tough first half, Hayward put the team on his back in the third quarter, scoring 13 points, grabbing four rebounds, notching two steals and a block and playing all 12 minutes as the Jazz outscored New Orleans 32-20 to get back in the game.

Steve Novak was short on a wide-open three to start the fourth quarter, which would have cut New Orleans’ lead to two. Instead, the Pelicans took the ball and hit a three of their own (by Holiday) for a six-point swing that stopped Utah’s momentum at a critical time.

Burke got going early with two straight threes in the first quarter and ended up with his best offensive night of the season. As a team, the Jazz went 5-for-14 from 3-point range.

With the Jazz making a run in the third quarter, Holiday drove to the hoop and went to pack it at the rim only to be stuffed by Hayward, who grabbed the loose ball and started a fast break the other way. The Jazz finished with eight blocks.  

The Jazz will remain at home for a game Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.