NEW ORLEANS — The Utah Jazz’s win streak ended at three on Thursday night with a 112-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
Here’s a look inside the numbers from the Jazz’s loss:
Best performance: C.J McCollum, despite not getting to the free throw line until midway through the fourth quarter, played within the game no matter what defense was thrown his way. When the Jazz were playing man, he carved his way in and out until he shook loose, and when the Jazz were playing zone, he capitalized from deep.
Worst performance: It was a rocky night for rookie Keyonte George, who played 24 minutes off the bench for the Jazz but went 1-of-7 overall, hitting a single 3-pointer and a free throw for four points on the night.
2: It was a tight game all night and when the Jazz’s defense was paying its closest attention to the major scorers, Trey Murphy III hit two huge 3-pointers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to keep the Pelicans in front.
26: Collin Sexton paced the Jazz with 26 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
4: The Pelicans scored just four second-chance points as the Jazz kept them largely off the offensive glass. While the Jazz had 17 offensive rebounds, New Orleans had just six.
Best of the best: At one point in the fourth quarter, McCollum put his body on the floor diving for a ball and ended up sliding into courtside fans and getting drenched by a drink. He bounced back up and although he had to continue wiping his hands off, managed to create offense for his teammates.
Worst of the worst: Murphy hadn’t scored a single point for the Pelicans prior to his 3s in the fourth that helped decide the game.