A slow start and slow finish proved hurdles too large to overcome for the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday as the Utah Jazz snuck away with a 106-104 victory in the first official game in the NBA’s bubble.
Zion Williamson played just 15 minutes while on a minutes restriction, but the Pelicans held a lead late before faltering down the stretch as they were outscored 27-17 in the fourth quarter.
The good: Second and third quarters
In the middle stages of the contest, the Pelicans looked like they were going to run away with things. A slow start was followed by an 18-4 run to close the first quarter. That run carried over into the second period and eventually the early part of the second half.
For large parts of the game, the Pelicans looked like they were going to run away with the contest. JJ Redick continued his hot stretch, the Pelicans depth continued to show out and New Orleans looked exactly like they did in the scrimmages.
Honorable mentions: Jrue Holiday’s fourth-quarter defense, Brandon Ingram, JJ Redick
The bad: The start and fourth quarter
As noted, the Jazz jumped all over New Orleans early in the first. And though the team overcame the slow start, the fourth quarter proved much tougher a hill to climb.
The team once again struggled mightily in crunch time and allowed the Jazz, who were badly outplayed for a large amount of the night, to escape with a victory.
By any standard, the loss would sting. But in the bubble with every contest having a bit more meaning, it was even more of a gut-punch.
Honorable mentions: Zion Williamson’s minutes restriction
The Ball: An off night with highlights
Lonzo Ball finished with a line of four points, seven rebounds and six assists on 2-of-13 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 shooting from deep. Ball did notch two steals but turned it over three times.
He didn’t particularly have an impactful night save for a few moments. His alley-oop to Zion Williamson was eye-popping. He also was on the receiving end of a dandy of a pass from Williamson. But outside of those two brief moments, it was a quiet night for Ball.
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