Bey's 22 points, late surge secure 120-113 overtime win for Pelicans
New Orleans erased a 13-point deficit and a missed buzzer-beater to end a four-game winning streak against the Utah Jazz.
By Pedro Barnes ·
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Utah Jazz 120-113 in overtime on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center. The victory marks the fourth consecutive win for New Orleans, which enters Friday with a 4-4 record. The game featured a late-game surge by New Orleans after a missed shot by Utah at the end of regulation.
Utah’s Keyonte George hit a jumper that would have won the game, but the shot was released a fraction of a second after the fourth-quarter buzzer. The score remained 113-113 at the end of regulation. In overtime, George sank consecutive three-pointers in the first minute to give the Jazz a 110-104 lead. The lead did not hold. The Pelicans scored on seven consecutive possessions, and the Jazz did not score again for more than four minutes.
Saddiq Bey scored 22 points for New Orleans, including eight in the final period. Zion Williamson finished with 23 points, all of which came after halftime. Derik Queen contributed 20 points, scoring 18 of them in the second half. Dejounte Murray, returning from a three-game absence to be with his family after the birth of his son, added 20 points. Jeremiah Fears scored 19 points.
Coach Jamahl Mosley credited the team's defensive effort for keeping the game close. "Your defense allows you to stay in games," Mosley said. "Our defense sustained us, and we put it together down the stretch." Williamson, who missed all four field-goal attempts in the first half, found his rhythm late. He scored his first points on free throws with 8:49 left in the third quarter and then scored 11 consecutive points for New Orleans.
The Jazz outscored the Pelicans 43-28 in the third quarter, the highest-scoring period for a New Orleans opponent this season. George led Utah with 39 points, including 19 in the third quarter. Lauri Markkanen finished with 21 points, and Ace Bailey added 15. The Jazz improved to 1-7 on the season but dropped their sixth straight game. Their only victory of the season came against New Orleans on Oct. 23.
Queen described the team's momentum shift in the fourth quarter. "I told coach that I had a smaller guy on me," Queen said. "We just kept rolling with it." Queen’s layup ended a 12-0 run that gave New Orleans an 88-87 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands several times in the final two minutes before Williamson and Murray tied the score with 6.4 seconds left.
The Pelicans will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. Friday at the Smoothie King Center.
New Orleans held the Jazz to 37 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed in a half this season. The team also scored a season-low 42 points in that span.
