Utah @ New Orleans preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2020 ) Utah 128, New Orleans 126

The New Orleans Pelicans have been playing well of late and steadily moving up the standings, and they are about to see how they stack up against some of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Pelicans will try to prove their recent run is no fluke when they open a two-game homestand by hosting the red-hot Utah Jazz on Thursday.

New Orleans, which hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, dropped to 6-22 with a home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 17 but has since won nine of 13 and capped a winning three-game road trip with a 117-110 overtime triumph at Detroit on Monday and is slated to get rookie star Zion Williamson back from knee surgery on Jan. 22. "When you talk about team win and a team effort, I just thought this was a just a great team effort," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters after watching his team beat Detroit with four starters missing. "We struggled in the fourth quarter, but once again, the bottom line is that we found a way to hang in and win and that's the most important thing." The Jazz own the NBA's longest current winning streak at 10 in a row and are going for a sweep of a three-game road trip after pushing past Washington and Brooklyn. "We got some really good looks, and our guys took the shots they gave us," Jazz forward Joe Ingles told reporters after matching a career high with 27 points in the 118-107 win over the Nets on Tuesday. "I think we still have a lot to improve on. Obviously, we're on the right track, and it's fun to play at the moment."

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, FS New Orleans

ABOUT THE JAZZ (28-12): Utah claimed wins in 15 of the last 16 games to pull into second place in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers and features a balanced attack that saw three players score 20 or more points on Tuesday. Center Rudy Gobert collected 22 points and 18 rebounds in his fourth consecutive double-double while Donovan Mitchell (illness) returned from a one-game absence and delivered 25 points. "I think we're getting contributions from a lot of guys," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "I thought Rudy was terrific. It was a dominant performance by him on both ends of the floor. Joe, obviously, was driving and making plays. ... Donovan, especially late when we really needed to score, made a few really big moves to the rim and finished."

ABOUT THE PELICANS (15-26): New Orleans was without power forward Derrick Favors (hamstring), small forward Brandon Ingram (knee), and guards Jrue Holiday (elbow) and JJ Redick (hamstring) on Monday, but all are day-to-day and have a chance to return on Thursday. The Pelicans got big performances from center Jahlil Okafor (25 points, 14 rebounds) and Nicolo Melli (20 points) in rare frontcourt starts while Lonzo Ball (17 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, three steals) filled up the box score. "We talked about that right before we left the locker room," Gentry told reporters. "We said that over the course of the NBA season, you're going to get an opportunity at some stage and the big question is will you take advantage of that opportunity when it's there, and I thought everybody that we put in the game (did)."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pelicans reserve PG Frank Jackson averaged 17.5 points in the last two games after totaling 19 points in his previous 13 appearances.

2. The Jazz are 10-0 since the debut of G Jordan Clarkson, who is averaging 15 points in that span.

3. Utah took the first two meetings this season and three straight in the series.

PREDICTION: Jazz 124, Pelicans 117