Pelicans Vs Jazz: Injury clarity and game fallout pelicans vs jazz
The Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans met in the first of a two-game slate in Salt Lake City this week, with injuries shaping both the matchup and the outcome. The pelicans vs jazz meeting featured multiple roster changes ahead of tip-off and ended with New Orleans taking the opener 129-118.
Full injury list and status
Several names appeared on the injury landscape heading into Thursday night. Keyonte George was listed as Questionable with a right ankle sprain, having been sidelined for eight of the Jazz's last nine games due to ankle injuries and having been elevated to questionable for Utah's last game against the Houston Rockets before being downgraded ahead of tip-off. That downgrade extended George's absence and made it his ninth missed game in his past 10 outings. Lauri Markkanen was listed as Questionable with a right ankle sprain and right hip impingement but suffered a right ankle/right hip issue during Jazz practice the day before facing the Pelicans and was downgraded out for the matchup. Jaren Jackson Jr. was listed OUT with left knee surgery and is out for the season. Try Murphy III was listed as OUT with a right shoulder contusion, and the Pelicans will be without their standout two-way wing Trey Murphy III, who is dealing with a right shoulder issue. A line in the injury coverage also noted "Utah Jazz injury news for Vince Williams Jr. " with no additional detail provided in the available context.
Markkanen and George sequences
Keyonte George's timeline was detailed: he had been sidelined across eight of the Jazz's last nine games due to ankle injuries, was elevated to questionable for the Rockets game, then downgraded before tip-off, and was again downgraded ahead of the New Orleans matchup to extend his lengthy absence. For Lauri Markkanen, the sequence was that he missed two of his last three games for Utah but returned to play in the game against the Rockets, where he produced a 29-point performance with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals before suffering the right ankle/right hip issue in practice that would keep him out of the Pelicans game.
Pelicans Vs Jazz recap
The injury-driven lineup shifts mattered on the court. In Salt Lake City, the Jazz kept pace much of the first half but New Orleans closed the second quarter on a 22-8 run and then held the lead for the rest of the game, winning 129-118. Utah cut the deficit to 10 with 4: 40 remaining after New Orleans had led by as much as 27, but Saddiq Bey's 3-pointer pushed the Pelicans' lead back over double-digits and removed momentum for the Jazz.
Individual performances and highlights
Saddiq Bey exploded for a season-high 42 points and added seven assists and five rebounds for New Orleans. Rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears supplied 12 points, all coming in the first half, as an impactful bench piece early in the game. For Utah, Ace Bailey bounced back after scoring just 4 points against the Rockets; he poured in 16 first-half points and finished with 23. A highlight for New Orleans came when Cody Williams slammed home a dunk over Karlo Matkovic for a poster and then attempted another dunk after jumping from near the free-throw line.
Defense, effort and coach reactions
Elijah Harkless contributed defensively for Utah with four steals, a block, 11 points and six assists. John Konchar picked up five steals, diving for loose balls and creating deflections; Konchar, an undrafted product out of Purdue Fort Wayne, is now in his eighth season in the NBA. Jazz head coach Will Hardy offered multiple assessments: "I thought [Ace Bailey] settled into the game nicely by keeping it pretty simple, " and added, "In Houston, it felt like he was a little sped up, and Houston did a good job of using their physicality and pressuring him. I thought early in the game, he did a nice job of keeping it simple with his reads. " On the game as a whole Hardy said, "The game got away from us in the second quarter with some sloppy play on offense and not much resistance on defense. " He also praised Harkless: "I enjoyed watching Elijah play. I thought his ferocity brought a lot to our group. I think it's representative of somebody who doesn't take the opportunity for granted and is fighting every day to try to make his place in this league and I thought it had a huge impact on our team in the second half. " Coach comments about Konchar included, "If there is a ball nearby, his hand will touch it. " John Konchar also said, "I just tried creating a role for myself in the NBA, " and added, "Pretty much just gonna play hard, work hard, and dive on the" — unclear in the provided context.
Roster implications and standings context
The injuries left Utah likely to roll out an extremely young starting five against New Orleans. The Pelicans entered the meeting with a 17-42 record while the Jazz sat at 18-40, with the game framed as important for Utah as it tries to lock up a top-eight draft pick. The Pelicans do not own their own 2026 first-round pick. The Jazz's latest blockbuster acquisition, Jaren Jackson Jr., remains out for the season with left knee surgery.
New Orleans took the first of the two-game set in Salt Lake City, 129-118, with injuries and rotation changes playing a clear role in the result.
