New Orleans Pelicans (19-42) beat Utah Jazz (18-42) 115-105 on the road on Saturday, February 28, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pelicans had the better start, winning the first 27-22 to lead by 5 after one. The Pelicans kept the pressure on with a 38-18 second quarter, carrying a 25-point lead into halftime.
The Jazz won the third 33-24 to stay in front, taking a 16-point lead into the fourth. The Jazz took the fourth 32-26; the Pelicans held on for a 115-105 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pelicans got more from their shots, finishing at 54.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 40.6% for the Jazz. The Pelicans grabbed 30.8% of their own misses, while the Jazz recovered 22%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Jazz did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 6.7 against 18.1. The Pelicans made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 105 possessions per team, the Pelicans produced 109.9 points per 100 possessions to 100.3 for the Jazz.
Who made the difference
Isaiah Collier was the game's biggest individual force for UTA: 21 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast on 7-15 shooting. His Game Score of 18.6 led everyone. His team was -11 with him on the floor.
Saddiq Bey led the Pelicans with 24 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast on 7-16 shooting, good for a 18.5 Game Score.
Jeremiah Fears (18 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 47% for the Pelicans.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, New Orleans Pelicans lead 4-0.
The Pelicans are now 19-42, and the Jazz are 18-42. The Pelicans last five before this game: L-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.