Coming into the season, the Utah Jazz could not have anticipated that the Pelicans would be among their staunchest competition in the tanking game. Yet, on Friday night, the two faced off in another edition of Tankapalooza.
Unlike the Nets from a few games back, the Pelicans made it clear from the jump that despite having a similar record with the Jazz, they are not in the same class. Sure, the Jazz made it interesting at times, but the Pelicans kept the Jazz at arm's length.
By doing so, the Jazz are now ahead of the Pelicans in the tanking game, but more than that, the Pelicans made a point that with everything that's happened this season, those two are only in the same spot because of injuries. More specifically, the Pelicans are where they are because of Zion Williamson's persistent injury woes.
The Pelicans have been missing Williamson for most of the season, but they've gone 4-6 when he's played. That's not necessarily good, but it's a major improvement from their overall record of 11-32. It's fair to say that if these two wouldn't be in the same discussion if he had shown up in more games.
So, when he's on the floor, it's no surprise that the Pelicans can blow out tanking teams like the Jazz. The Jazz were also dealing with their own injuries, but the Pelicans were missing more of their vital players like Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram.
Which further serves as evidence of how unfortunate things have gone for the Pelicans. They shouldn't be fighting for tanking position with the Jazz, but they've had to because their roster has been fragile as glass.
The Pelicans now have one more win than the Jazz do. Because of that, Utah has now taken sole possession as the worst team in the Western Conference.
Where the Jazz stand in the tanking rankings
With the loss, the Jazz are now No. 3 in the tanking sweepstakes, per Tankathon. The only two teams ahead of them are Washington and Toronto. There's still half a season left give or take, and the Jazz are neck-and-neck with the Pelicans and Hornets.
The Jazz could get ahead if and when they make some trades before the deadline, but so can a lot of their tanking competitors. That's why nights like tonight are good for the Jazz. The Pelicans demonstrating how better they are than the Jazz is exactly what the Jazz would prefer.