Zion Williamson scored 23 and Saddiq Bey logged eight of his 22 points in overtime to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 120-113 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Derik Queen added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans, who picked up their fourth consecutive win after beginning the season 0-4.
Dejounte Murray chipped in with 20 points and eight rebounds while Jeremiah Fears contributed 19 points in the win.
Utah’s Keyonte George led all scorers with 39 points on 14-of-26 shooting. He also dished out nine assists and had four steals, but the Jazz still dropped their sixth game in a row since a home victory over New Orleans on Oct. 23.
George briefly thought he won the game at the regulation buzzer. His potential game-winning jump shot, however, left his fingertips just after the clock expired, and the contest extended into overtime.
George had the hot hand early in the extra session, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Jazz up by six points with four minutes left.
The Pelicans dominated the rest of the way, going on a 14-0 run.
Williamson began the Pelicans’ game-clinching push with an inside bucket. Fears added a putback basket, while Bey ended up scoring eight points in the surge.
After being limited to 37 points in the first half, the Jazz seized a 13-point lead in the second half thanks in part to 19 third-quarter points by George.
Lauri Markkanen, who wound up with 21 points, gave the Jazz their biggest lead at 85-72 with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans, fueled by Queen’s 14 points in the fourth quarter, used a 9-0 run to tighten things up.
Utah held a 104-100 lead with 39.4 seconds to go in the fourth after an eight-point streak. However, Williamson made a layup and Murray hit two free throws with 6.4 seconds left to tie it.
–Field Level Media
