Utah Jazz open home schedule with one-point win over Pelicans

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz snuck away with a one-point win in the home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

The result came down to a missed Dejounte Murray mid-range in the final seconds, but a win is a win.

Seven players scored in double figures in Utah’s first win of the season. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the group with 24 points.

Utah Jazz take the win at home vs. the New Orleans Pelicans 👏

#TakeNote presented by @ZionsBank https://t.co/obpsFxj8Hh

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 24, 2026

The game was somewhat a tale of two halves. Utah looked great in the first two quarters, but regressed a bit in the third.

It was a similar tale to the season opener on Wednesday, except that the fall-off came in the second quarter against the Grizzlies, and Utah was able to gather its bearings enough to secure a win on Friday.

Head coach Will Hardy spoke on the inconsistency in post-game availability.

I thought in the first half we were connected on both sides of the ball. The ball movement offensively was tremendous. It was a great thing to watch. (New Orleans’) run in the third quarter, I felt was a little bit self-inflicted. To have 18 turnovers and 14 of them be in the second half, that’s something we have to continue to address.

Fortunately for Utah, they were able to slow the game back down and regain control in the fourth.

They outscored the Pelicans 34-29 in the final frame and played good defense down the stretch to give the home fans a win.

 

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Checking In On The Rotation

The Jazz played 11 players in the season opener, and only seven of them played 15 or more minutes.

Will Hardy was quick to shake things up, replacing Jaxson Hayes with Ace Bailey in the starting lineup. That made Utah’s first five Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

The bench five consisted of Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Filipowski, and Jaxson Hayes.

Every player above played 15 or more minutes, except for Filipowski, who finished with eight.

Also of note, Bailey finished with 22 minutes, but didn’t hit the floor in the fourth quarter. Utah closed with Hayes in for the extra size.

Jazz vs. Pelicans Quick Hits

• JJJ, George, Markkanen, Hayes, Peterson, Collier, and Sensabaugh all scored 10 or more points against NOLA.
• The two stats that stand out most to me are 10 boards for Jaren Jackson Jr. and 10 assists for Keyonte George. That’s about as impactful it gets for individual player PRA on this Jazz team.
• The Jazz won the rebound battle and both took and made more threes than the Pelicans. That’s a winning recipe.
• The Utah Jazz continue their homestand on Sunday, October 25, as they welcome former Jazzman Walker Kessler and the Los Angeles Lakers into the Delta Center.

Chandler Holt is a Utah Jazz insider for KSLSports.com and co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast. Follow Chandler on X for Jazz and NBA updates.

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