NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz in late December, dropping them to 13-19. Almost one month later, Utah continues to surge as the league’s hottest surprise team. Sitting at 22-21, the Jazz are the ninth seed in the West. Over their last 11 games since the previous matchup with New Orleans, the Jazz have the second-best net rating (+10.3), one spot ahead of the Pelicans (+10.2).
Lauri Markkanen is the captain of Will Hardy’s group, his complementary offensive skillset meshing with Hardy’s modern motion offense. He’s playing as well as ever, scoring 24.1 points a night on 65.1% true shooting (+7 relative) and 39.8% from three. Efficient from every spot on the floor, Markkanen’s scoring threat is as versatile as anyone in the NBA.
Placing eighth in the NBA in passes per game, Markkanen’s teammates and coaching accentuate his skillset. He’s made just 12 unassisted shots in the half-court all season (not including putbacks). Utah sends him around screens as a shooter, faces him up in the mid-post and parks him on the block.
Aside from Markkanen, the ascending Collin Sexton deserves credit for Utah’s recent stretch of success. He’s putting up 17.4 points and 4.0 assists per game with career highs in efficiency (62.0% true shooting, +4) and offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (+3.2). Sexton found a blend of scoring and passing that works for him, attacking in early offense, hitting threes off of the catch and pulling up from mid range.
He’s making sharper decisions in year six, commanding the offense with improved poise. Sexton collapses the floor with his speed, comfortable spraying to shooters all over the floor. The pick-and-roll passing is much improved, his pace and rhythm much smoother. Utah’s great spacing grants ample foom for Sexton to work and he’s delivered lobs to his big men all season.
Since their last matchup with New Orleans, Utah boasts the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA (112.5). The Jazz’s paint defense stands out, ranking in the top 12 of opponent rim efficiency (62.0%) and frequency (34%) on the season. Though he’s taken a slight step back from his rookie campaign, Walker Kessler anchors Utah’s defense. Kris Dunn, Ochai Agbaji, Simone Fontecchio, Talen Horton-Tucker and Markkanen all fill valuable defensive niches.
Theoretically, nobody on Utah’s roster should be able to handle Zion Williamson. None of their bigs are mobile or strong enough to match his explosion. Working Williamson downhill should be a priority for the Pelicans’ offense.
Tonight, New Orleans will play a different Utah Jazz team. They play pristine, team basketball on both ends of the floor. The Pelicans must match their energy and intensity to come away with a win.
Analysis by Ben Pfeifer.
Keys to Victory
Get back to basics. The Pelicans have lost three of their last five games and there are a number of minor issues that are holding them back as of late. They’ve lost their advantage inside, as the Pelicans are scoring only 48.8 points in the paint per game during this five game stretch, down from their 51.9 ppg average. The Pelicans lost the rebounding battle to the Suns on Friday, another typical indicator for a defeat. In their 17 losses this season, the Pels have been out rebounded in 16 of them. Rebounding and domination inside are mindsets, and the Pelicans haven’t been focused enough in those areas. They’ll have to be against the Jazz.
Keep Pulling “Trigga.” Everyone knows the phrase “Shooters shoot.” Unfortunately, sometimes shooters miss, and right now Trey Murphy III is going through one of the toughest shooting slumps of his young career. Over his last eight games he’s 25-72 (.347) overall from the floor, including 19-59 (.322) from beyond the arc, while averaging a meager 9.9 points per game. Murphy has had a hard time finding consistency with his stroke since first returning from offseason knee surgery and then a bout with tendinitis. At this time last season Murphy was viewed as a rising star, while this season he seems to be searching for his place within the offense and still figuring out how to round out his game. Trey needs to get back into sync sooner rather than later or defenses will begin to play him differently, causing further reverberations throughout the Pelicans’ offensive attack.
Take it to the Jazz. Utah is tied for the second-best record in the NBA since the start of the new year (8-3), with the league’s third-best offense and 10th-best defense. The Jazz have beat up their opponents on the inside, leading the NBA in both points in the paint (58.5) and second chance points (17.4) per game. When teams make mistakes, the Jazz capitalize to the tune of 18.0 points per game. This will be a test of the Pelicans mentally and physically. Are the Pelicans up to the challenge?
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| Utah Jazz | New Orleans Pelicans |
| G – Kris Dunn | G – CJ McCollum |
| G – Collin Sexton | G – Herb Jones |
| F – Simone Fontecchio | F – Brandon Ingram |
| F – Lauri Markkanen | F – Zion Williamson |
| C – John Collins | C – Jonas Valanciunas |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Matt Ryan (right elbow surgery) is Out.
Utah Jazz: None
Who: Utah Jazz (22-22) at New Orleans Pelicans (25-18)
Season Series:
- Nov. 25: Jazz def. Pelicans, 105-100
- Nov. 27: Jazz def. Pelicans, 114-112
- Dec. 28: Pelicans def. Jazz, 112-105
- Jan. 23: Jazz at Pelicans
Where: Smoothie King Center
When: Jan. 23, 7:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
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Can’t believe Bucks fired AJ Griffin 43 games into his first season. With a 30-13 record.
Got to be more to story. Wonder if Giannis and Dame had any say. Defense efficiency has gone from 4th to 22nd this year.
If teams want to wall off Point Zion from getting in the lane when he is Point Zion, and we surround him with shooters, we will rip the opposition, because he is a willing, smart and effective passer.