A look at three key numbers related to Saturday’s game in the Delta Center between New Orleans and Utah (8:30 p.m. Central, Bally Sports, WRNO 99.5 FM):
5-0: Record of New Orleans’ current starting lineup, featuring victories over top-six Western Conference squads Dallas (10-5), Denver (10-6) and Sacramento (9-6) twice, then Friday at the LA Clippers (6-8). Over a six-game span dating back to Nov. 14 – including a one-point loss vs. Minnesota with Zion Williamson a DNP in a back-to-back – the Pelicans rank seventh in offense, fifth in defense and second in net rating (outscoring opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions, trailing only Oklahoma City, via NBA.com). They’re also fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio and fourth in rebounding percentage, covering a wide range of categories. Starting guards Herb Jones and Dyson Daniels have contributed some of their best performances of their three- and two-year NBA careers, respectively, while the frontcourt trio of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas has been a handful to stop in the mid-range area and the paint.
63.2, 59.6: Speaking of Valanciunas and Williamson, those are the shooting percentages from the field for New Orleans’ center and power forward, respectively, during this recent 5-1 stretch. Among players with at least 55 attempts during the same timeframe, Valanciunas ranks fifth in the NBA in accuracy, behind only Domantas Sabonis (66.7), Brook Lopez, Obi Toppin and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Williamson is seventh on that list, with Kevin Durant (60.6) wedged between the pair of Pelicans bigs. With his shots coming from greater distance than his frontcourt teammates, Ingram is also in the top 25, connecting on 52.5 percent of his looks over the past six games. Over the entire regular season, Valanciunas, Williamson, Ingram and Jones are all shooting over 50 percent from the floor, providing New Orleans with excellent efficiency. Ingram and Jones finished at 48.4 and 46.9 percent last season, respectively.
2/10: Of New Orleans’ next 10 opponents on its schedule (excluding the Dec. 4-9 stretch, which remains TBD, dependent upon In-Season Tournament quarterfinal qualification or not), only two foes currently sport winning records. Friday’s victory at the LA Clippers launched a stretch where the Pelicans are finally facing a more manageable schedule on paper. Now they have to capitalize on that. Last season, Utah proved to be a major thorn in the side of New Orleans, sweeping the Pelicans 3-0 despite finishing the 82-game slate at just 37-45. Two of those Jazz triumphs came in overtime, while the other was a 21-point blowout. For a fourth straight season, New Orleans is playing a “baseball series” in Salt Lake City. The Pelicans’ last victory there occurred in November 2021, when Devonte’ Graham drained a pull-up three-pointer with one second left for a 98-97 verdict.
Previous Game Starting Lineups
NEW ORLEANS (3-1)
Friday win at LA Clippers
Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Notes: By NBA rule, the Pelicans will submit their Saturday injury report prior to the 1 p.m. game-site local deadline for the second game of a back-to-back (which in this case is 2 p.m. Central). Ahead of the Clippers game, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy and Matt Ryan were listed as out. … New Orleans is in ninth place in the jam-packed West, only one game behind fourth-place Phoenix (10-6) and essentially tied with seventh-place Houston (8-6).
UTAH (4-11)
Wednesday loss at Portland
Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, John Collins
Notes: The Jazz have a couple significant injury concerns, with Markkanen (hamstring) and center Walker Kessler (elbow) both listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. Utah first-round picks Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh are both on G League assignment. … The Jazz are in the No. 13 spot in the West, part of a four-team tier that has four or fewer wins (Portland, Memphis and San Antonio are also in that group).
FanDuel Keys to the Game
FILLING THE VOID
As noted above, it’s unclear whether Markkanen and/or Kessler will be sidelined Saturday by injury. Both players were instrumental last season in Utah sweeping New Orleans. Kessler has not played since a Nov. 6 loss at Chicago, while Markkanen has appeared in all 15 Utah games. New Orleans has done a very commendable job lately trying to compensate for potent three-point shooters McCollum, Murphy and Ryan being out of action.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
New Orleans needs to be on high alert at the defensive end, boxing out Utah players who try to crash the glass. The Jazz rank first in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (15.1), an area the Pelicans have been so-so in counteracting (18th in defensive rebounding percentage at 71.4). However, as is the case in a multitude of areas, New Orleans has greatly improved recently (75.3, fourth in the NBA since Nov. 14).
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Two of the NBA’s fastest-starting rookies meet for the first time as pros – lottery picks Jordan Hawkins (UConn) and George (Baylor). Hawkins continues to make a big impact for New Orleans, logging 20-plus minutes in 14 consecutive games and tallying at least six points in 15 straight outings. George has started seven times for Utah. Hawkins and George rank fourth and seventh, respectively, in rookie scoring average.