Pelicans Comeback Falls Short In Overtime to Jazz
NEW ORLEANS, LA - CJ McCollum opened the night with an address to the fans that ended with a message about hanging a banner at the end of the season. Brandon Ingram opened the scoring with one of his patented midrange buckets that should be framed and put in an art museum.
Oct 23, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles against Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Even though Ingram (concussion) never returned for the second half the Smoothie King Center faithful was loud from the start but New Orleans failed to notch a third consecutive win to start Head Coach Willie Green's second season in charge.
Utah's Lauri Markkanen scored 14 first-quarter points to lead the Jazz to a 26-24 lead ruining the streak by the Pelicans of not trailing in the first two games. Jarred Vanderbilt had 15 points in the first half and the Jazz had a 63-53 lead at the midway break.
It took until there was 2:32 left in the fourth quarter for the Pelicans to tie up the game with a Herb Jones free throw. Unfortunately, CJ McCollum's potential game-winner in overtime rimmed out and the Pelicans fell to 2-1 on the year.
Things started to turn around for Willie Green's squad in the second quarter. Zion Williamson was visibly frustrated after a few awkward plays in the paint. He had a couple of layups blocked and threw a bail-out pass off of Larry Nance Jr.'s head before being subbed out for a reset.
Williamson threw down two big dunks within minutes of returning to the court and the Pelicans opened up a five-point lead.
The Pelicans were robbed on a run-out opportunity but Devonte' Graham cleaned up the mistake. The contributions from the bench were key to keeping the game close.
Jonas Valanciunas went from being the team's leading scorer in Charlotte to not scoring a point in the first half against Utah. McCollum had to take over after Williamson took a hard fall on a fast-break dunk attempt that was blocked.
The Pelicans fought hard but it just was not enough in the end.
New Orleans gave up 56 points in the paint and committed 17 turnovers, which led to 21 points for the Jazz. Utah got 31 points from the bench mob and even grabbed one more (15-14) offensive rebound than the Pelicans. Those extra possessions led to 15 points. These effort plays were a big difference in what ended as a one-point game.
It was a tough night that ended with a tough loss. Both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will need to be reevaluated before New Orleans is back in action on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks. The game will be broadcast on TNT.
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