Zion Williamson Is Back For Pelicans-Jazz Rematch
The New Orleans Pelicans (9-8) take on the Utah Jazz (5-11) in a rematch of Saturday night's contest. Utah defeated New Orleans 105-100 to mark their fourth straight win over the Pelicans. The Jazz have dominated New Orleans at home, winning seven of the last eight games against the Pels in Salt Lake City.
Zion Williamson did not play on Saturday night, as the Pelicans rested the star forward on back-to-back games. New Orleans played the Clippers in L.A. on Friday night. Without Zion, the Pelicans lost a nine-point heading into the fourth quarter. Williamson is averaging 23.2 points and 5.9 rebounds this season.
The return of Zion likely means rookie Jordan Hawkins returns to the bench. The impressive rookie scored 25 points on Saturday, the second-most on the team. Hawkins should help improve the bench scoring for New Orleans. Utah's bench outscored New Orleans 54-22 in the matchup and was a major catalyst for the Jazz turnaround. Utah had six players score in double-figures in the game.
Nov 25, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles the ball around Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans did a good job of creating turnovers in the game. Utah leads the NBA in turnovers per game (17.9), and New Orleans forced 23 turnovers. Dyson Daniels recorded six first-half steals, the fourth time in franchise history that's occurred. The Pelicans must shoot better from beyond the arc to have sustained success.
Over the last three games, the Pelicans are second-to-last in the NBA in three-point makes per game (9.3.). The three-point shot propelled Utah to their victory over New Orleans. The Jazz made 5/6 three-pointers at one point in the fourth quarter to capture the lead in the game. Two of the Pelicans' best shooters from deep, CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III, remain sidelined with injuries.
Utah played on Saturday without two of its best players, Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson. Markkanen is questionable for the rematch, while Clarkson is expected to play. Those two are the Top-2 leading scorers on the Jazz. Without them, Utah's middle-of-the-road offense found a way to win a game while trailing. The Jazz were previously 0-8 when trailing after the first quarter before Saturday's game.
New Orleans has played solid basketball after a rough start to the season. The team has won four of their last six games, but they are 1-3 on the season without Williamson. The Pelicans are under .500 on the road, but a win in Utah will get them back to even on the season.
After Monday night's affair, New Orleans will head home to face last year's reigning MVP Joel Embiid on Wednesday before battling with No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
