Jaren Jackson Jr. logged 24 points and 10 rebounds and Keyonte George added 19 points and 10 assists to rally the Utah Jazz to a 120-119 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Utah rookie Darryn Peterson scored 15 points, including two go-ahead free throws with 50.5 seconds left.
Jaxson Hayes chipped in 17 points off the bench and Lauri Markkanen added 16 to help the Jazz beat the Pelicans for the first time since November 2023. New Orleans went 3-0 against Utah each of the previous two seasons and had won eight straight in the series.
The Jazz earned the home-opening victory after dropping their overall opener on Wednesday at Memphis.
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 23 points and reserve Saddiq Bey added 20. Dejounte Murray chipped in 16.
Murray missed a potential game-winning jumper with a second left as the Pelicans fell to 0-2.
New Orleans center Yves Missi went to the locker room with 6:24 left in the second quarter after sustaining a left knee injury. Missi could not put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the court. He tallied six points on 3-of-3 shooting in nine minutes.
Even without Missi, New Orleans erased a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and took its first lead at 75-74 midway through the quarter on a reverse layup from Murray. The Pelicans scored on 10 consecutive possessions during the rally. Murray accounted for five baskets in that stretch.
The Pelicans scored 38 points in the third quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth. Back-to-back baskets from Bennedict Mathurin and Bey helped New Orleans build its largest lead at 99-94.
George drained a 3-pointer and fed Hayes for a floater, capping a 15-3 run that put the Jazz back in front 109-102 with 5:35 left.
Utah dominated in the paint early to assert control. The Jazz scored 22 of their 31 first-quarter points in the paint.
The Jazz never trailed before halftime and claimed a 40-30 lead early in the second quarter behind a 9-0 run. Markkanen and Brice Sensabaugh bookended the surge with 3-pointers.
Utah eventually expanded its lead to 67-52 early in the third on another trey from Markkanen.
–Field Level Media
