Pelicans Hold Off Jazz to Complete Utah Sweep, 115-105

The New Orleans Pelicans are starting to look like a team that believes in itself again.

Behind a balanced offensive effort and a suffocating second quarter that the Jazz simply couldn’t survive, the Pelicans walked out of Salt Lake City with a 115-105 win, their fourth consecutive victory and a two-game sweep of Utah. It wasn’t always pretty. It wasn’t always comfortable. But when it mattered, New Orleans had answers.

That’s what winning teams do.

Pelicans Storm Out of the Half With a Statement Run

The second quarter was where this game was decided. New Orleans outscored Utah 41-23 in the period, capped by a punishing 15-0 run that left the Jazz gasping heading into the locker room. At halftime, the scoreboard read 65-40, and the Smoothie King faithful watching from home had to be wondering: when did this team figure it out?

The Pelicans came into this season battered. Zion Williamson has been a ghost. Dejounte Murray missed months with an Achilles injury. Herb Jones only recently returned. This is a franchise that has been held together with tape and sheer will.

And yet, here they are. Winning.

Saddiq Bey Leads the Pelicans Offense—Again

It’s become a familiar refrain: when the Pelicans need buckets, Saddiq Bey delivers.

Bey finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists—a well-rounded night from a player who has quietly emerged as one of New Orleans’ most reliable weapons. He shot 7-of-16 from the field and knocked down three triples when the team needed spacing. But beyond the numbers, Bey’s presence on the floor just makes the Pelicans harder to guard.

After the game, Bey had nothing but praise for Dejounte Murray’s brief but impactful return earlier in the week.

“It’s amazing,” Bey said.

Murray sat out this one, but the Pelicans didn’t miss a beat.

Jeremiah Fears Delivers a Triple-Double-Caliber Performance

If Saddiq Bey is the veteran steadying this team, then Jeremiah Fears is the electricity running through it.

The rookie point guard came off the bench and delivered 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists—a stat line that would make most starters blush. Fears shot 5-of-14 from the field but made up for his shooting efficiency at the free throw line, going a perfect 6-for-6. His rebounding—11 boards from the backcourt—was the kind of hustle performance that coaches remember.

This is a player who isn’t supposed to be doing this yet. He’s a rookie. He’s coming off the bench. And he’s putting up near-triple-double numbers in a road sweep. Let that sink in.

Bryce McGowens Gives the Pelicans Another Scoring Punch

While Bey and Fears grabbed the headlines, Bryce McGowens quietly stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points of his own. McGowens shot 6-of-14 from the field and connected on 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, giving the Pelicans the kind of perimeter depth they’ve been missing for large stretches of the season.

On a night where New Orleans connected on 15 threes as a team, McGowens was a big reason why Utah’s defense kept breaking down.

Jazz Fight Back, But the Pelicans Answer

Give Utah credit. This wasn’t a team that rolled over.

The Jazz outscored New Orleans 57-51 in the second half and used a furious fourth-quarter run to trim what had been a 27-point deficit all the way down to 7. Isaiah Collier led the charge with 21 points and 7 assists, and the Jazz bench—outscoring New Orleans’ reserves 61-38—kept punching.

But every time Utah threatened, the Pelicans had a response. An 8-0 run in the fourth sealed it. New Orleans held its nerve. That’s not something this team could always say.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy acknowledged his team’s struggles.

James Borrego’s Pelicans Are Finding Their Identity

Interim head coach James Borrego isn’t just winning games—he’s building something.

The revamped Pelicans lineup is bigger, tougher, and more defensive-minded than the unit that stumbled through the early months of this season. Borrego kept Bey in the starting lineup and moved Fears to the bench, a decision that has paid dividends in back-to-back games.

Managing the roster is its own puzzle, though. Zion left Saturday’s game early with a right ankle injury, Murray sat out, and Lauri Markkanen is expected to miss two weeks with a hip issue. Borrego knows the road ahead won’t be smooth.

That’s the mindset of a team that’s starting to believe. The Pelicans are still near the bottom of the Western Conference standings—but they’re no longer playing like it.