Utah Jazz @ New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, January 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA | Game ID: 22400581
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 42 19 35 40 136UTA 22 30 28 43 123
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Zion Williamson has 24 points and 14 rebounds to power the Pelicans past the Jazz, 136-123
NEW ORLEANS -- — Zion Williamson highlighted a 24-point, 14-rebound performance with an array of thunderous dunks during a dominant fourth-quarter stint, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night to open a two-game set.
The teams will meet again in New Orleans on Monday night.
CJ McCollum made his first five 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, and the Pelicans got 19 points each from Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III en route to their third straight victory and fourth in five games.
Keyonte George scored 26 points for Utah, and Collin Sexton had 24. The Jazz (10-30) have lost five of six and have the fewest victories in the Western Conference, one behind the Pelicans (11-32).
New Orleans led b 26 when Daniel Theis ' 3-pointer made it 50-24 early in the second quarter. But Utah outscored New Orleans 28-11 during the rest of period to make it 61-52 at halftime before the Pelicans pulled away again for good in the second half.
Takeaways Jazz: Foward Lauri Markkanen missed his third straight game because of lower back spasms, adding to an lengthy injury list that also includes Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fasciitis) and John Collins (left hip). That made it tough for Utah to stay with a Pelicans squad that is getting healthier and playing better.
Pelicans: Rookie center Yves Missi sat out with a non-COVID illness. Theis started for him and had his best game this season, scoring 18 points — including a pair of 3s — and grabbing eight rebounds. Reserve rookie center Karlo Matkovic saw his first action in five games and blocked two shots.
Key moment Williamson scored nine points in the first 3:48 of the fourth quarter, highlighted by his explosive driving dunk over center Drew Eubanks and his soaring alley-oop jam of Murphy's lob, giving New Orleans a 111-90 lead.
Key stat New Orleans made a season-high 22 3-pointers and finished 22 of 50 (44%) from deep.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
UTABS B. Sensabaugh
CS C. Sexton
CW C. Williams
DE D. Eubanks
EH E. Harkless
IC I. Collier
KF K. Filipowski
KG K. George
OT O. Tshiebwe
PM P. Mills
SM S. Mykhailiuk
NOPCM C. McCollum
DM D. Murray
DT D. Theis
JA J. Alvarado
JC J. Cain
JG J. Green
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
KM K. Matković
TM T. Murphy III
ZW Z. Williamson
UTA/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur