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Jazz complete 2-game sweep of Pelicans with 'another really gritty team win'

E.Wright3 months ago

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — John Collins tried to get to the ball, Zion Williamson reached to corral it, and Keyonte George attempted to throw it off an opposing player. The final seconds Monday were a mad dash for the ball.

The New Orleans Pelicans tried to grab an offensive rebound for one last chance at a tie. But by the time Williamson reached down and secured the ball, it was too late; time had run out, and the Utah Jazz held on for a 114-112 win over the Pelicans at the Delta Center.

With the win, Utah completed a two-game sweep of New Orleans, which the Jazz held on to beat in a similar fashion Saturday.

"Another really gritty team win against a good team," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I think our defensive focus is continuing to show up."

Hardy mentioned how the Jazz held the Pelicans to only 24 points in the first and fourth quarters — bookends that were good enough for the win.

He said the best thing about Monday's win was how the Jazz felt like a team; Utah had 31 assists on 38 made field goals and had seven players reach double figures.

Jordan Clarkson had 16 points and 10 assists to lead the Jazz, and scored 5 critical points in the fourth quarter to give the Jazz the lead for good, and then found Simone Fontecchio for a wide-open 3-pointer.

George had a career-high 19 points and hit Utah's final shot of the night — a 3-pointer with 2:42 left that gave the Jazz a 7-point lead.

That proved just enough for Utah to hold on at the end.

Brandon Ingram got a decent look from 20 feet out to tie the game. The shot went long, leading to a mad dash for the rebound — a dash that lasted long enough to run out the clock and give Utah the win.

The Jazz improved to 6-11 on the season with the win.

This story will be updated.