The New Orleans Pelicans have the worst record in the NBA’s Western Conference, but they’re in the midst of their best stretch of the season.
They have won three of their last four games and five of the last eight as they prepare to host the Utah Jazz on Friday night. They can pass the second-to-last Jazz in wins if they prevail, though they have three more losses than Utah.
“We’re getting better and better,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said. “We’re getting more confident in what we can do on the floor. We’re having some consistency. All of our guys have been doing a great job of just continuing to stay with it, buying in even as we’ve faced some difficulties throughout the course of the season.”
The Pelicans have endured a series of long-term injuries to key players and played without three starters — Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones — in a 119-116 home victory against short-handed Dallas on Wednesday.
Williamson was sitting out the back end of a back-to-back and is expected to play Friday. Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum, all of whom were injured earlier in the season, have been leading the resurgence while awaiting the others’ return.
“The beauty of being part of a team that has the talent that we have is you don’t have to do too much,” Murray said. “It could be any guy’s night on any given night. I just live for those moments whatever they are, whether I’ve got to sit down and guard or I’ve got to get a rebound or get a bucket or create for my teammates. I think it just comes down to winning basketball. I think that’s what we’re trying to create here on a daily basis.”
Murray had 13 of his game-high and season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter against the Mavericks and finished with seven rebounds and seven assists. Murphy added 24 points, a season-high 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, including a game-saving one in the final seconds.
The Jazz are coming off a 117-112 home loss to Charlotte on Wednesday, but head coach Will Hardy still was encouraged considering the team played without Lauri Markkanen (back spasms), John Collins (left hip injury management), Jordan Clarkson (plantar fasciitis), Johnny Juzang (right hand fracture) and Collin Sexton (rest).
Hardy said the performance featured “a lot of positives.” Utah had split its last six games before Wednesday.
“I could not be happier with the trend of our team’s play,” Hardy said. “We’re playing way better basketball on both ends of the floor, and that’s all I can ask for. We’ll continue to harp on execution things because the margins between winning and losing are very small.”
The Jazz led by as many as 13 points and took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter against Charlotte.
“Our focus drifted,” Hardy said. “It’s a good learning moment for our group.”
Utah got a boost from the return of Keyonte George, who had missed the last five games because of heel inflammation and scored 26 points.
–Field Level Media
