Utah

Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans Recap: Zion Williamson knocks out the Jazz

Published

1 year ago

January 18, 2025

Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans Recap: Zion Williamson knocks out the Jazz

The Utah Jazz move to (10-30) after a (123-136) loss to the (11-32) New Orleans Pelicans. A late scratch to Walker Kessler and the that void was noticeable.

Game Overview

1st Quarter

The First Quarter was underway and the Pelicans were just dominating Utah on both ends of the floor. CJ McCollum started 5-5 from three and put up a quick 15 points before missing his first shot of the game. The early scratch to Kessler meant that defending the paint was going to be a team effort and through the first quarter, Zion and Dejounte Murray were exposing that paint. On offense, Collin Sexton was the only one to really get any points for Utah, but most of those were from the stripe. The Pelicans were quicker to every ball and caused Utah 5 turnovers in the quarter. The first quarter ended with Utah(22) to New Orleans(42).

2nd Quarter

The Second Quarter started like the first and the pace of the Pelican’s play was extremely quick. The passing and kickouts to the three absolutely killed Utah in this first half and Utah’s defense was just not quick enough to close out. The Jazz did have their fair share of open shots but didn’t start hitting them until the 8-minute mark where Utah then went on a 11-0 run. At this point, we started to see some life in the Jazz and the defensive intensity started to improve as well. The half ended with Utah(52) to New Orleans(61).

3rd Quarter

Coming out of the break the Pelicans got out to an early 10-0 run until Collin Sexton got the first buckets of the quarter for Utah. Drew Eubanks had a strong performance on the defensive end being an absolute wall against Zion and you could see a noticeable difference to when he was in vs out. Daniel Theis’ known big man shooter was hurting the Jazz with his three ball. The quarter ended with Utah(80) to New Orleans(96).

4th Quarter

The final quarter was underway and it looked like the Pelicans were told to buckle up on defense because Jose Alvarado was full-court pressing Utah to start the quarter. It worked. The Jazz went cold on offense. The Pelicans took advantage, led by Zion who started to become more of a presence and dominated, nothing Drew Eubanks could do. The three-ball was also going in the Pelican’s favor and it just seemed like they couldn’t miss. The game ended with Utah losing(123) to New Orleans(136).

Game Recap: for Dummies, Casuals, and Hoop Nerds

Go to where you think fits your basketball knowledge best, If you need help knowing which section to go to, no worries let me help.

Recap for Dummies: These are for fans learning the sport of basketball or just giving the sport a chance. Excited to have you, and props to you for joining at such an interesting time of the franchise.

Recap for Casuals: This section is for the fans who don’t care about advanced stats and just enjoy the product on the court. It’s also for fans who don’t catch every game but are just curious how the team’s doing once in a while, or wanting to know how the team did against a big name like tonight in Zion Williamson.

Recap for Hoop Nerds: This section is for the diehards of Jazz Basketball. These are the people who catch every Hoops Nerd live stream and have followed the Utah Jazz their whole life. The people who have been through thick and thin. The athletes who thought they were good enough to go pro or coach in the league but had to turn down the offers for the betterment of their “family.”

Recap For Dummies

One of the biggest factors of this game was the Pelican’s ability to drive and kick out extremely well against the Jazz.

A drive and kick out is when an attacking player attacks the paint in hopes of drawing attention from defenders which then gives the attacking player an open person to pass the ball out to usually over the three-point line.

Dejounte Murray did this extremely well which led to Utah not being able to stop the defender(close out) quickly enough. This led to the Pelicans having a field day from three early on in the game.

Another factor that changed this game was the amount of offensive rebounds the Pelicans were able to have.

Offensive rebounds are a big way teams get into big leads, these rebounds lead to second-chance points and a restart on the 24-second shot clock which gives you another opportunity to score on the offensive end.

A big part of why New Orleans was having such high success on the rebound matchup was because Utah was missing third-year Center Walker Kessler. Kessler, who was an early scratch for the game, has been having a career year. At the moment he has a strong argument for being the team’s best player at the moment.

Recap For Casuals

The Utah Jazz are now (3-7) but for a rebuilding team like Utah most of these games have been great for the team’s development.

From a watchability standpoint, Sexton will always have to be up there. His first game back from injury and man was he electric. He is physical and always has an extremely strong work ethic. Sexton has been having a career year and that’s why other teams around the league are keeping an eye on the Young Bull.

Not a great night from 9th overall pick Cody Williams who is still trying to find himself in the league. Williams spent a lot of time in the G-League this season but recently has been playing consistent minutes with the first team. But if we keep it real, he was absolutely invisible. Not what you want to see from your 9th overall pick almost halfway through the season.

For New Orleans, Zion only played 22 minutes and dominated in 19 of those 22. The Pelicans are still bringing Williamson back to full fitness after being out for most of this season. But man was that 4th quarter dominant.

It looked like the team was saving his energy for that quarter and holy crap he’s a freak of nature who just needs to stay healthy.

A shoutout does need to be given to Drew Eubanks who tried his best and did have some good stops. The score would have looked worse if he wasn’t down there tonight.

Recap For Hoop Nerds

Holy Crap New Orleans absolutely cooked Utah from three tonight. The Pelicans shot 44% from three tonight to Utah’s 34.2%.

The Pelicans three-point runs were crazy starting with CJ McCollum beginning the game with a quick 15 going (5-5) from three before missing his first of the game. Then Jose Alvarado and company looked like a game of 2k in the fourth quarter scorching the net.

Besides that Utah was pretty close in most of the stats. Just shows why teams favor the three-ball so much more.

New Orleans also outrebounded Utah (64-49) with 21 of those coming from the offensive end. Walker Kessler you were missed. But Drew Eubanks did hold his own for most of the game and ended up with 17 points, 4 blocks, and 7 rebounds.

Another thing that absolutely destroyed Utah tonight was transition. Every time the Pelicans grabbed a rebound it looked like 3 of them were already down the court.

Cody Williams put up zero points, and had a -31 plus minus, just gonna leave it at that, don’t look at my preview.

Svi Mykhailiuk shot 3-10 from three but ended with 16 points.

Collier didn’t have a bad game. Had 8 points and 11 assists. Collier could very easily be getting double-doubles every game if he stays on this trajectory and just continues his growth on the offensive end.

Players that need to be traded yesterday

As much as Sexton’s fun to watch and a great guy by the way. Get this man to a contender ASAP!!! Give those minutes back to Collier. There’s no reason to play him for 31 minutes and I’m so sick of his hero ball sometimes.

Also if that rumor about Clarkson to Dallas is true I could see that being a great fit for him. He would also be on a contender so I would really like to see that happen.

Was this good for the tank?

Absolutely! With this loss, The Pelicans now jump Utah and with the Hornets winning today Utah’s lottery odds just jumped drastically. If Utah keeps up how they’ve been playing and the right moves happen by the trade deadline we could be seeing a lot of development and minutes the second half of the season.

If you enjoy this format and are interested to learn about Hockey and the newest NHL franchise in Utah. Check out Brogan Houston(Writer for Desert News about the Utah Hockey Club) who gave me this idea! He’s an absolute amazing source for newcomers to the sport and an amazing writer.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/01/17/utah-hockey-club-loses-5-3-to-new-york-rangers/ Link to most recent game recap.

Next Game

Who: Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans

When: January 20th, 6:00PM Mountain Time

Where: Smoothie King Center- New Orleans, LA

Watch: Jazz+, KJZZ

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Utah Jazz starter Keyonte George is back but wants to be ‘cautious’ as he returns from injury

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Utah Jazz starter Keyonte George is back but wants to be ‘cautious’ as he returns from injury

George returned from a right ankle sprain that kept him out six straight games.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The crowd reacts as Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) hits a 3-point shot at the Delta Center this season.

Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy didn’t need to see much from his young point guard in his return.

“Making shots, missing shots, it’s not anything that’s in question for me,” Hardy said about Keyonte George. “I just want to see him exert himself physically and competitively.”

In that case, mission accomplished.

After missing nine games in the last month with two different ankle sprains, George returned against the Pelicans on Saturday.

The Jazz lost 115-105.

George’s numbers were fine, scoring 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes. But Hardy saw enough mobility from George to make him comfortable moving forward.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz Center Mo Bamba sits next to Keyonte George and Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. on the bench in NBA action between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Delta Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

“I thought he made some athletic plays in small spaces. I was more concerned with his willingness to slam on the brakes,” Hardy said. “And I thought he had a couple possessions where he did, where he really pushed it athletically.

“He’s like any player, he’s frustrated. He feels like he should have made a few more shots,” he continued. “But that’s not what I was watching.”

George was on a restriction of 20-24 minutes and he wants to be cautious in the days ahead. Utah plays Denver on Monday before heading on the road.

“Feet are the most precious thing for any athlete. So I want to make sure I feel good, not feeling off balance or nothing like that,” George said. “Just want to be cautious with the ankle injuries and stuff like that.”

But for his return, it was good enough.

“I feel like my pop was there. I didn’t want to force anything,” he finished. “I just wanted to play the game. I feel like I did a decent job tonight.”

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Reading changed these authors’ lives, now they want the same for Utah’s youth

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Reading changed these authors’ lives, now they want the same for Utah’s youth

SALT LAKE CITY — “If you don’t think you’re a reader yet, it’s because you haven’t found the right book.”

Utah author Sara B. Larson believes there is a book out there for everyone that can make someone love reading. She and dozens of other authors gathered at StoryCon this weekend to teach and inspire young kids to love reading and writing.

“It’s hard to see the drop in literacy that has happened, but it’s also encouraging to see so many people banding together to try and combat it and help our youth,” Larson said.

StoryCon is a literature conference that brings together authors, educators, teens, tweens and everyone in between to focus on the power of literacy. Around 3,500 people flocked to the Salt Palace Convention Center for workshops on writing concepts, shopping for book merchandise, author signings, and even panels about Brandon Sanderson’s famed fantastical universe known as the Cosmere.

Sanderson, one of the most well-known fantasy authors to come out of Utah, said writing can feel isolating because it is such a solitary activity. He attended a conference similar to StoryCon in Nebraska when he was 18, and the opportunity to connect and meet with real authors was “so invigorating.”

“It was so powerful to just have a community. So I’ve always tried to do what I can to support communities, particularly for young people,” he said.

Aspiring writers don’t need to stress about writing the perfect book immediately, Sanderson advises. While some authors get lucky, like Christopher Paolini, who wrote “Eragon” at just 14 years old, most of the time writing is about exploring genres and just improving your skills over time, he said.

Brandon Sanderson speaks to thousands of people who attended the 2026 StoryCon literacy convention at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Saturday. (Photo: Cassidy Wixom, KSL)

Sanderson himself didn’t love reading at first until between his eighth and ninth grade years.

“I went from being a C student to an A student because of books. This was partially because I found myself in the books; I had a reason to care, but your reading comprehension going up helps in all aspects of life,” he said. “Having a fluency with reading, reading for the love of it, which will just build those muscles in your brain, is extremely important.”

Brandon Mull, author of the “Fablehaven” series, said he also didn’t like reading as a kid until he read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which made a “light go on.” He now feels he owes C.S. Lewis the credit for how his life turned out.

“When I learned to read for fun as a kid, it changed the trajectory of my life,” Mull said. “I’m a practical example of how big a difference learning to love reading can make for someone.”

Authors Sara B. Larson and Brandon Sanderson speak to StoryCon CEO Jennifer Jenkins at a meet and greet during the 2026 StoryCon literacy convention in Salt Lake City, Saturday. (Photo: Cassidy Wixom, KSL)

Mull focuses on children’s literature and said he tries to write stories that children and families can enjoy. Reading fiction helps children develop “a rich inner life,” learn how to be empathetic and develop their minds to be a place ideas can be explored.

The Utah author will soon be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his book “Fablehaven,” which will include a special illustrated edition of the beloved children’s book, a dramatized full-cast audiobook, and the premiere next year of a film based on the novel. He also will be releasing a new series this year called “Guardians” that he believes is some of his best work.

With so many things competing for kids’ attention every day, it’s crucial to teach them to read, Mull said.

“If we don’t get kids to learn how to read a book and turn it into a story in their head, they are missing an aspect of education that makes them good consumers of information and good consumers of stories,” he said.

Larson agreed with that sentiment, saying people’s brains are being “hijacked” and getting stuck in a loop of only having a 3-second attention span because of social media. Larson has written more than eight fantasy books, including the popular “Defy” trilogy.

“This phenomenon that is happening to our kids, they are losing the ability to focus, losing the ability to even think with any sort of deep analytical process. It’s so vital to get to these kids and help them realize you have got to put down the phone and pick up a book and train yourself to focus,” she said.

There is wealth, knowledge, joy, happiness, peace and calm to be found when you put social media away and instead dive into a book, she said. Reading helps children grow up to be successful adults who can pursue goals, constantly learn and successfully contribute to society.

StoryCon CEO Jennifer Jenkins said it has been overwhelming to see the success of the event. StoryCon was created by the nonprofit Operation Literacy last year and has become the biggest literacy-focused event in Utah.

Growing up, she felt there wasn’t a place for writers compared to athletes or dancers who always had camps and conventions, so she helped found Teen Author Boot Camp, which evolved into StoryCon.

“Kids need to know they are being taken seriously. They need to be validated and know they are being encouraged,” she said. “That’s the why behind all of this. We really want to put them before anything else. These kids are the heart of everything we do.”

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Why Utah Represents Arizona State’s True Turning Point

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Why Utah Represents Arizona State’s True Turning Point

Arizona State basketball is at a crossroads. After back-to-back road losses to Baylor and TCU, the Sun Devils are suddenly fighting just to stay above .500.

Now, with Utah coming to town Saturday afternoon, this isn’t just another conference game. It feels bigger than that. It feels like the moment that decides whether this season still has life or if it quietly fades away.

The Danger of Falling Below .500

All season long, Arizona State has had one strange pattern.

Every time they dropped to .500, they responded with a win. They never let things spiral.

But now they’re sitting right on the edge again.

A loss to Utah would push them below .500 for the first time all year. That might not sound dramatic, but it matters for team morale.

Teams feel that shift. Confidence changes. Urgency changes. And with only a few games left before the Big 12 Tournament, there isn’t much time to recover.

That’s why this Utah game feels different.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Isaac Williams (10) scores a basket over Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Utah Is Playing Better — Especially on Defense

When these two teams met a few weeks ago, Utah was struggling.

Since then, they’ve improved. They’re still built around their top scorers, who combine for around 40 points per game, but the real difference lately has been defense.

Utah has started putting together more complete defensive performances. They’re contesting shots better. They’re finishing possessions. They’re not folding as easily in the second half.

That matters because Arizona State’s biggest issue right now isn’t effort, it’s physical depth.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley disputes a call with an official during the first half against the Baylor Bears at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Real Niche Problem: Guard-Heavy and Worn Down

Here’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough: Arizona State’s roster balance is off.

Because of injuries, especially the likely season-ending absence of Marcus Adams Jr., the Sun Devils are extremely guard-heavy right now. More than half of the available players are guards. That creates matchup issues, especially against physical teams.

We saw it against TCU. They got to the free-throw line 36 times.

They won the physical battle. Even when their best scorer struggled, they still controlled the game inside.

ASU just doesn’t have the same frontcourt depth.

With only a few true bigs available and some undersized forwards playing bigger roles than expected, the team can get worn down.

Late in games, that shows up in missed rebounds, second-chance points, and tired legs.

It’s not about hustle. It’s about bodies.

Why Saturday Truly Matters

If Arizona State beats Utah, everything changes.

Suddenly, you’re heading into Senior Night against Kansas with momentum. Win that, and you’re talking about a possible 7–11 conference finish and a much better Big 12 Tournament matchup.

From there? Anything can happen.

But if they lose Saturday, the math and the hope get much harder.

That’s why this game isn’t just about Utah.

It’s about belief. It’s about roster limitations. And it’s about whether this team has one more push left in them before the season runs out.

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