Sexton takes over late to lead Jazz past Pelicans, snap 4-game losing skid
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SALT LAKE CITY — Collin Sexton started the game missing six of his first seven shots.
Fortunately for the Utah Jazz, he kept on shooting — and passing, too.
Sexton had 10 points and five assists in the fourth quarter to lead the Jazz to a 105-100 comeback win over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday at the Delta Center.
His final points on the night came on a 3-pointer that gave the Jazz a 3-point lead. And his final assist came on an inside-out strike to Keynote George for another triple to give the Jazz a 6-point advantage.
That proved to be good enough for Utah, as it forced a New Orleans turnover with 9.9 seconds left to clinch the game.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Utah, and winning it on a defensive stop felt oddly appropriate Saturday; Utah had one of its best defensive performances of the Will Hardy era. The Jazz had a defensive rating of 100 — about 20 points per possession better than their season average.
That's how they stayed close in a game where they were without their top two scorers, Lauri Markkanen (sore hamstring) and Jordan Clarkson (illness), and turned it over 15 times in the first half.
Led by Sexton, the Jazz found an offensive groove. Utah had runs of 12-4 and 14-4 in the fourth quarter as it broke out to score 37 points in the fourth quarter. That allowed the team to erase a 13-point second-half deficit to get the much-needed win.
Sexton finished with a team-high 16 points and six assists; George had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists; and Walker Kessler had 11 points and 11 rebounds in his first game back from an elbow strain.
This story will be updated.
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