Jazz (29-33), Pelicans (23-38)
Utah turned what had been a close game into a relatively comfortable victory Saturday, going on a big run late in the third quarter en route to a Western Conference triumph over New Orleans. The Jazz evened the season series 2-2 with the Pelicans behind stellar performances from cornerstone frontcourt players Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors, who combined for 52 points. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis registered 29 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the New Orleans all-time leader in career double-doubles featuring scoring and boards. In another unfortunate piece of bad luck, Pelicans starting shooting guard sustained a broken right ring finger during the second quarter, the second time he’s had the exact same injury this season. The last time he broke the finger, his timetable was 4-6 weeks and he missed 16 games.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Utah closed the third quarter on a 14-0 surge, turning a deadlock at 70 into an 84-70 advantage. The Jazz further distanced themselves from their hosts in the fourth, expanding the margin to 97-79 by the midway point of the period. Utah sank most of its free throws (26/27 overall at the line) to seal it.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Based on his early-game shooting woes, it wasn’t a great night by Anthony Davis standards, but he fought his way out of a slow start to help the Pelicans momentarily make it a tight game in the third quarter. The three-time All-Star went 3/17 from the field in the first half but finished 11/31 in his 29-point game. That was just three fewer shot attempts than the 34 he had at Detroit in his 59-point career-best day.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Backup veteran guard Toney Douglas will again likely be pressed into additional duty following the reoccurrence of Gordon’s broken finger injury. On Saturday he responded with nine points, highlighted by 3/4 three-point shooting in 19 minutes of action.
