Utah Jazz (1-1) beat New Orleans Pelicans (0-2) 120-119 at home on Friday, October 23. The Pelicans led after three quarters, but the Jazz took control in the fourth.
How it unfolded
The Pelicans held a 4-point lead after three quarters. The Jazz won the fourth 34-29 to take it.
What decided it
The Jazz recovered 33.3% of their own misses against 26.3% for the Pelicans and the Jazz cashed in 29.8 free throws for every 100 shots, the Pelicans only 25.8. Extra possessions add up quickly over 48 minutes.
The Pelicans did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 14.2 against 17.6. The Jazz made up for it elsewhere.
The game played at about 104 possessions per team. The Jazz scored 115.2 points per 100 possessions and the Pelicans scored 114.2, a difference of 1.
The Pelicans' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 52-29.
Who made the difference
Zion Williamson (NOP) posted the best line of the night by Game Score (19.7): 23 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl on 8-13 shooting. The team was +1 in the minutes Zion played.
For the Jazz, Jaren Jackson Jr. was the best of the rest at 19: 24 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast on 7-15 shooting.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (24 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) and Keyonte George (19 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
Game Score is a single number that weighs points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, shooting efficiency, fouls and turnovers. It is not an official stat, just a quick way to rank lines.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 51% for the Jazz.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, New Orleans Pelicans lead 6-0.
The Jazz are now 1-1, and the Pelicans are 0-2. The Jazz last five before this game: L-L-W-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.