The New Orleans Pelicans posted their highest point total and largest margin of victory this season, defeating the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night. Zion Williamson’s double-double and the best three-point shooting of the season powered the Pelicans to their third consecutive win and fourth in five games.
Zion’s Explosive Return
Zion Williamson returned to the Smoothie King Center with a new goatee and the same old dominance. The two-time All-Star delivered 24 points and 14 rebounds in just 22 minutes, including nine points in a fourth-quarter flurry. His emphatic driving dunk over Drew Eubanks and a soaring alley-oop from Trey Murphy III in the fourth quarter caused the arena to erupt.
Williamson also helped get the Pelicans back on track when they couldn’t bring any energy, ending a seven-minute field-goal drought in the second quarter with three buckets in just over a minute. Those key plays allowed New Orleans to maintain a 61-52 halftime lead despite struggling to find consistency from beyond the arc in that period. Williamson’s performance marked his fourth double-double. The Pelicans are 3-1 when Zion has a double-double this season. He also demonstrated his playmaking with six assists. New Orleans improved to 4-0 when Zion has six or more assists this season. The Pelicans have won more than 70 percent of their games (38-16) when he hands out at least six dimes in his career.
| 6+ AST (W/L) | 6+ AST (%) | All Games (W/L) | All Games (%) | Diff. | |
| 2024-25 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 11-32 | .255 | .745 |
| 2023-24 | 21-6 | .778 | 49-33 | .598 | .180 |
| 2022-23 | 4-6 | .400 | 42-40 | .512 | -.112 |
| 2020-21 | 9-4 | .692 | 31-41 | .431 | .261 |
| Totals | 38-16 | .703 | 133-146 | .476 | .227 |
Hot Starts and Cool Hands
New Orleans opened the game by lighting up the scoreboard, racing to a 29-8 lead within the first eight minutes. CJ McCollum set the tone early, making all five of his three-point attempts in the first quarter, while Trey Murphy III and Jordan Hawkins added to the long-range assault. The Pelicans finished the opening frame with 42 points, their highest-scoring first quarter of the season, shooting 9-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Although the Pelicans cooled off in the second quarter—making just one of their eight three-point attempts—Williamson’s inside presence ensured they still carried a nine-point lead into halftime. The offense reignited in the third quarter, with New Orleans scoring the first 10 points to stretch the lead to 71-52. Despite a Collin Sexton-led run by the Jazz, the Pelicans closed the third period with a 96-80 advantage, thanks to some big three-pointers from McCollum, Jose Alvarado, and Hawkins.
New Orleans finished the game with a season-high 22 three-pointers on 50 attempts. Their ability to stretch the floor all night kept the Jazz on their heels, allowing the Pelicans to keep control even when the game tightened in the middle quarters. The Pels have made 153 three-pointers in January with seven games remaining in the month, and are on pace to shatter the season-high of 162 set in November.
One Streak Ends, Another Continues
While Murphy added 19 points and was a key contributor to the Pelicans’ offensive success, his franchise-record streak of 52 consecutive made free throws was snapped with a first-quarter miss. However, Trey connected on two of his six attempts from long distance, extending his streak of games with at least two three-pointers to 32 (27 this season).
Depth Shines Bright
The reserves showed up once again, with the bench providing 41 points. Daniel Theis, starting in place of Yves Missi, recorded a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Jose Alvarado added 19 points, including five three-pointers. Jordan Hawkins chipped in 11 points off the bench. Even Karlo Matkovic contributed defensively with two blocked shots.
The Jazz, playing without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins, were led by Keyonte George’s 26 points and Sexton’s 24. Svi Mykhailiuk added 16 points, while Drew Eubanks and Brice Sensabaugh contributed 17 and 15, respectively.
Looking Ahead
The Pelicans, now 11-32, will host the Jazz again on Monday night, aiming to complete the two-game sweep. Friday’s performance offered a glimpse of what New Orleans can achieve when its shooters are in rhythm and Zion Williamson is at his best. It has to be an encouraging sign in a lost season.
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