The New Orleans Pelicans are back at .500 for the first time in two years, and Wednesday night’s 120-113 comeback over the Utah Jazz fit the moment perfectly. Down 15 in the fourth quarter and six more in overtime, New Orleans kept clawing until the game finally bent its way.
That kind of escape doesn’t happen without a few different players taking turns carrying the load. Saddiq Bey gave the Pelicans the scoring punch they badly needed with Trey Murphy out, Derik Queen powered the fourth-quarter push, and Herb Jones and Zion Williamson locked things down when Utah had a chance to steal it back.
Bey was at his best when the pressure peaked. He scored eight of his points in overtime and finished the job with a fadeaway jumper with 36.8 seconds left, stretching the lead to six and effectively ending it.
He hunted the right matchups, hit difficult shots, and kept the mistakes to a minimum with just one turnover. On a night when New Orleans had trouble finding offense, he was the most reliable scorer in the building.
Jones didn’t fill the box score, but his fingerprints were all over the win. He scored only two points, shot 1-of-7, and still finished with the best plus-minus on the team at plus-21 in his 37 minutes.
His biggest work came on the defensive end, especially in overtime after Keyont George opened with back-to-back threes. Jones and Williamson helped throw Utah off rhythm, including forcing George into an airball and a shot-clock violation.
Williamson’s night followed a similar shape. He was blanked in the first half, then came alive after the break and scored all 23 of his points in the second half.
He wasn’t as efficient as usual, going 6-of-14, but his rim pressure and ability to draw fouls mattered. His two late free throws helped seal it, and his defensive activity in overtime stood out too.
Williamson helped against George and finished with two blocks. The slow start and limited rebounding kept this from being an even bigger night, but the response after halftime was important.
Queen may have been the biggest reason New Orleans even reached overtime. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, repeatedly using his footwork and touch to work Utah inside.
He also finished with nine rebounds and six assists, showing off the versatility that keeps popping up in his game. The flip side was there too: a costly late turnover, shaky shooting, and some rough interior defense.
The talent is obvious. The consistency is still coming.
Dejounte Murray returned and delivered a line that reflected the night’s mix of control and mess: 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and 11-of-11 from the line. He helped in all the right spots, especially at the finish.
Murray hit two free throws with 6.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, then added two more in the final seconds to close it out. The negatives were there too - four turnovers and a late foul on Lauri Markkanen - but he still finished plus-17 and made enough winning plays.
Jeremiah Fears had his own uneven outing, but he produced one of the game’s most important moments. His offensive rebound and putback tied the score at 110 in overtime, finishing New Orleans’ recovery from a six-point deficit.
He also went 6-for-6 at the line and turned it over only twice. Even so, the shot-making, the two assists, and the defensive issues showed he’s still very much a work in progress.
Karlo Matkovic gave the Pelicans a little bit of everything and not quite enough of any one thing. He hit two of three shots, including a three-pointer, but struggled to make a real dent against Utah’s depleted frontcourt.
New Orleans was outscored by nine in his minutes. The shooting helps, but the Pelicans need more rebounding and interior presence from him.
Brandon Boston Jr. couldn’t get his shot going, missing all three of his three-point tries. He did chip in five rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, but with Murphy unavailable, New Orleans needed more scoring from him in 15 minutes.
Naji Marshall also gave the Pelicans useful bench minutes, making his lone field-goal attempt and five of six free throws while adding a steal and a block. Three turnovers cut into the value of his night, but his versatility continues to give New Orleans another frontcourt option.
The Pelicans earned this one the hard way. They erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit, survived Utah’s early overtime burst, and finished the extra period on a 16-3 run.
Still, the offense remains a problem that won’t go away quietly. New Orleans made only five threes, while Utah missed 36.
The Pelicans needed 39 made free throws just to overcome their scoring limitations against a shorthanded opponent.
Even so, four straight wins matter. The rough start hasn’t vanished, but New Orleans is finding ways to win again.
In Other News...
Pelicans Win Streak Faces A Bigger Test Than It Looks
After opening the season with four straight losses, the Pelicans have steadied themselves with three consecutive wins and suddenly look a lot more like a team trying to sort out its identity than one stuck in an early hole. Jamahl Mosley has been mixing and matching lineups as he searches for the right balance, a process that has helped New Orleans get to 3-4 while also revealing how much room there still is for the group to grow.
The next step comes against Utah, and it is the kind of matchup that can tell a lot more about the Pelicans than the standings suggest. New Orleans has shown enough to believe the recent surge is real, but the Jazz bring a different level of test, one that should expose whether the Pelicans strengths can travel beyond a short hot streak and hold up against a team already familiar with them. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Could Get A Needed Offensive Boost Against Utah
The Pelicans head into their matchup with Utah with a little more offensive help on the way, and that matters for a team still trying to find its rhythm early in the season. Trey Murphy III and Jordan Poole are both on the injury report, but the encouraging part for New Orleans is that each is listed as probable, giving the club a better chance to add some scoring punch and shot creation against the Jazz.
Murphy has been dealing with patella tendinopathy, while Poole is managing ankle tendinopathy, but neither issue appears likely to keep them out. For a Pelicans offense that can use every extra option it can get, having both available would give the rotation more flexibility and another layer of pressure on Utah's defense. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Suddenly Have A Dejounte Murray Decision They Can't Ignore
The Pelicans have steadied themselves with three straight wins after opening 0-4, and Jeremiah Fears has been a big reason the offense has looked more settled during Dejounte Murrays absence. Fears has handled a larger role at the point, giving New Orleans a different rhythm and a clearer sense of what the rotation can look like when the ball is moving through him more often.
Murray is expected back soon, and his return brings an unavoidable roster question for a team trying to build continuity while also keeping an eye on trade possibilities. New Orleans has to decide how to balance two guards who can both handle the offense, and whether the best path forward is simply restoring the old look or finding a way to keep the current momentum intact while adding the right complementary pieces. [Read more 🡒]