Jazz Fall To Pelicans After Poor Third Quarter Performance

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – For the second time in the last three games, the Utah Jazz lost a game after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans 129-124 on Monday night.

The Jazz held a five point lead at the halftime break before the wheels fell off in the third quarter with New Orleans outscoring them 40-24.

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 31 points and 7 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points and 8 assists. Jordan Clarkson chipped in 20 points off the bench.

Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points apiece. Ingram had a double-double with 10 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Lonzo Ball posted 23 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. J.J. Redick scored 17 points off the bench, along with 13 from Josh Hart.

The @utahjazz comeback falls short, and they lose to the @pelicansnba 129-124.

Jazz gave themselves a chance late but couldn't get the luck they needed. #TakeNote

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 2, 2021

Jazz Post Strong First Half Against Pelicans

Great plays were made in the first half for the Utah Jazz. Bojan Bogdanovic made his first five three-pointers before missing his last two attempts before the halftime break. He had 19 points on 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Jordan Clarkson caught fire in the second quarter with 11 points and two triples off the bench. New Orleans had two players in double figures in the first half, led by Lonzo Ball with 14 points and Brandon Ingram with 12 points.

At the half, the @utahjazz lead the @PelicansNBA 64-59.

Jazz shoot 11-24 from three to build the lead, and outscored New Orleans 41-33 in the second quarter. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/6pCLEqmCn8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 2, 2021

Utah Suffers Third Quarter Collapse Against New Orleans

The third quarter was not kind for the Jazz. After scoring just 9 points in the first half, Zion Williamson went off in the third quarter with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in over 9 minutes. Willy Hernangomez and Brandon Ingram each added 8 points apiece in the quarter. The Pelicans shot 65 percent from the floor. On the other hand, Utah struggled in the third, shooting 40 percent from the floor and just 22 percent from beyond the arc.

Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 8 points in the quarter. The Jazz made their run in the fourth quarter but the Pelicans answered every run they threw at them. Their last chance at getting back into the game was when they went on a late 11-2 run and was within 5 points with 1:28 remaining in the game. Steven Adams made one of two free throws to put them up by six. Donovan Mitchell went back to the foul line where he made both attempts to get to within four points.

If the @utahjazz are going to make a run it has to start now.

They trail the @PelicansNBA 115-103 with just under seven minutes left to play.

Jazz have to figure out a way to get stops which hasn't happened in the second half. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/OzAbWf5p5n

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 2, 2021

The Jazz got a stop on defense and Mitchell found Royce O’Neale for a wide open three-pointer. New Orleans had a one-point lead with 46.7 seconds left. Brandon Ingram missed the midrange jumper. With a chance to take the lead, Mitchell missed the contested layup and Rudy Gobert couldn’t get the tip in. Gobert was called for the over the back foul. Zion Williamson made both free throws to put the Pelicans up by three with 29.5 seconds left. The Jazz needed a three-pointer to tie the game but New Orleans held strong defensively. They were able to get a runout dunk to seal the deal.

Utah dropped their record to 27-8 on the season. They will wrap up their four game road trip and the first half of their schedule on Wednesday when they face the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. MST on AT&T SportsNet.