Pelicans Must Break Current Home Losing Streak Versus Jazz

New Orleans, LA - The Utah Jazz (13-18) travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans (17-14) Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans are coming off yet another close home loss after dropping a heartbreaking overtime loss to Memphis on Tuesday. New Orleans has done a poor game at closing teams out recently, with the Pels' last three home losses coming by a combined five points. Meanwhile, Utah has beaten the Pelicans five straight times dating back to last season.

Excluding the Dec 13 matchup, the remaining four games between these teams were decided by five points or less. The Jazz have won four of their last five games, including three straight on the road. All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen leads the Jazz in points (24.0) and rebounds (8.8) for a Jazz team that shoots the three-point shot well. Utah is Top 10 in three-point attempts and three-point makes per game.

On the other hand, the Pelicans rank towards the bottom of the league in those categories. Curiously, the team announced on Thursday that it was sending one of its best three-point shooters, Jordan Hawkins, down to the G League. Hawkins currently leads the Pelicans in three-pointers made (59) this season. Utah has used its three-point shooting to their advantage during the win streak against New Orleans. Utah is +21 from downtown per game from beyond the arc against the Pels.

New Orleans will attempt to use its size advantage against the Jazz. While the Pelicans rank Top 5 in free throw attempts per game, their free throw shooting percentage ranks near the bottom. This is a contributing catalyst to their porous clutch rating later on in games. New Orleans ranks No. 28 in clutch rankings with the game within five points down the stretch. The Pelicans need their stars to be stars when the game matters the most.

Zion Williamson fits that description, but his numbers have dipped in a couple of categories, including points per game and field goal percentage. Still, Williamson remains a force in the middle, as he is only one of two players in the league to average at least 22 points per game on 57% shooting from the floor. Utah gives up a lot of points in the paints, so look for the Pelicans to feature Zion and Jonas Valanciunas on a multitude of post-ups and inside play designs.

Rebounding will also be key with the Jazz as the No. 1 team in the league in second-chance points. New Orleans needs to be solid with defensive rebounding and defense of the Jazz's second unit. Utah is No. 5 in the NBA in bench scoring, averaging 42.3 bench points per game.

New Orleans is on a five-game home stand but has lost its first two at the Blender. If the Pels want to end the home stand with a winning record, they must defeat Utah on Thursday night. Next up for the Pelicans are the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.