Utah Jazz at New Orleans Pelicans Preview: Jazz look to break Pels’ streak

The Utah Jazz will aim to put an end to the New Orleans Pelicans’ perfect start to the season when they visit Smoothie King Center on Saturday night.

Despite a less than riveting start to their 2018-19 campaign, the Utah Jazz bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night when they visited the Houston Rockets. Donovan Mitchell came alive for 38 points on efficient shooting marks to help lead the Jazz to a 100-89 victory in the Toyota Center. It was a nice win that got the Jazz back to .500 on the young season.

However, as the Jazz road trip continues on to game number two, the team may very well be in for its toughest challenge of the slate as they’ll visit the red hot New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans finished off last season very strong and continued it into the postseason by upsetting the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in commanding 4-0 fashion.

Of course, after that they were stopped short by the Golden State Warriors (who isn’t, right?), but other than that, it appears that thus far in 2018-19, the Pelicans are picking right back up where they left off. They’ve kicked off the year extremely hot, winning all four of their games thus far. They started out by steam-rolling the Houston Rockets on the road in incredible fashion, then demolishing the Sacramento Kings in a blowout.

After that, they were challenged by the LA Clippers, but managed to survive. Then just barely on Friday evening, they managed to sneak by a less than foreboding Brooklyn Nets team thanks to the late-game heroics of Jrue Holiday.

In other words, their two most recent wins haven’t been as impressive as their first two, and of course the Rockets have struggled so far and the Kings are, well, the Kings. But still, the fact that the Pelicans have won all four games, regardless of the fashion, and remain the lone undefeated team in the Western Conference is an impressive feat. It also means that they’re a team to watch out for and will present a tough challenge for the Jazz.

That fact is even further emphasized since this game will be played on the road as the second game of a lengthy trip. Fortunately, Utah happens to be undefeated on the road, and if their win in Houston is any indication, they appear to be back on track in the best way. However, that was just one game, so the Jazz will need to bring it once again in New Orleans to truly prove their worth.

They have matched up well against New Orleans in years past, including going 3-1 against them last year. As incredible as Anthony Davis is and has been this year – he’s a legit MVP candidate averaging 27.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists – the combo of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert have tended to do an admirable job against him. If they do so again on Saturday night, it could result in an incredible Jazz win that sees the lone undefeated team in the West finally fall.

Then again, as legitimate as AD’s MVP case is in the early-going of the season, he’s far from alone on his daunting Pelicans squad that boasts the likes of Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic who are off to awesome starts this year. Along with them, new additions Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton have exceeded expectations thus far and look like excellent fits.

Add that all together, and it’s going to be a massive challenge for the Jazz to come away victorious. However, they have a couple other things going for them as well. First off, Saturday’s bout will be the second night of a back-to-back for the Pelicans. Their tired legs could very well provide a huge advantage for the Jazz who haven’t played since Wednesday.

Not only that, but as good as the Pelicans have looked so far, when you consider that each of their games has been either a close bout, against a team with a currently poor record, or both, then perhaps they’re not as dominant as their 4-0 record might indicate. Honestly, I think this will be a hard-fought bout, but I think there’s a good chance that the Jazz come in and capitalize on what’s been a good matchup for them and that they take advantage of New Orleans’ weary legs.

It will take a buttoned-up team effort, and the Jazz will have to not only contain AD but also slow a balanced Pelicans attack, but they are entirely capable of doing so. As such, I’m pinning the Jazz as coming out strong and taking this game as a follow-up to their solid performance in Houston.

Prediction: Jazz 108, Pelicans 104

I’m honestly ecstatic for this game. I feel like the Jazz and Pelicans are two teams that are oft overlooked in the West, but are primed to overachieve and surprise this season, with a chance to both finish in the top four of the Western Conference. Therefore, this early battle between rising squads that are aiming for elite status in the West ought to be an absolute thrill.

The Jazz and Pelicans will tip-off on Saturday at 5:00 PM MT as Utah plays in their second of four consecutive road games and aims to end New Orleans’ undefeated record.