Put Wednesday night’s embarrassing 20 point drubbing in Memphis down to first night jitters, a team still finding its offensive and defensive chemistry, and an other worldly performance by Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome. Friday night’s home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans gave the Utah Jazz the chance to regroup in the friendly confines of the Delta Center. And regroup they did behind double doubles from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Keyonte George, and the raucous roar of the home fans.
Ace Bailey got
the start after an impactful 24 minutes off the bench on Wednesday night, especially on the defensive end. But it was Jaxson Hayes, entering the game after the Pelicans scored their first 12 points in the paint, who set the defensive tone in the first quarter. Keyonte George ran the point like an experienced floor general, getting both Markkanen and Jackson involved early, and firing a left hand heat seeking missile to Hayes for a dunk.
The Jazz led 31-28 after the first quarter and used their aggressive defense to stifle the Pelicans and extend their lead to 10 in the second. Jackson and Markkanen both had double figures by the break, Darren Peterson eclipsed his nine point outing in Memphis and Keyonte tallied 7 assists. Hayes in just 10 minutes off the bench hadn’t missed a shot, scoring 10 points and amassing 1 assist, 2 rebounds and a block as the Jazz took a 10 point lead into the locker room.
The Pelicans clawed their way back into the game in the third quarter, using a 19-5 run to tie the game at 73. The Jazz caught the turnover bug and struggled from the free throw line, going into the fourth quarter down 90-86.
The Jazz used scrappy defense and the Pelicans’ fouls to retake the lead with 7:24 left (101-100). Keyonte extended the lead to 5 with a three pointer. From that point on it was a back and forth affair, leading to Dejounte Murray’s last second shot, which careened off the rim to Jaren Jackson Jr.
The win certainly wasn’t perfect—the Jazz had 18 turnovers, many of them in the third quarter, and struggled at times from the free throw line—but the team’s defense and ball movement were greatly improved. And the fight the team showed when faced with adversity bodes well for the tough game on Sunday versus Walker Kessler and the Lakers.
