Pelicans Vs Jazz: Injuries Cripple Jazz Roster, Bey Drops 42 in 129-118 New Orleans Win
In the Pelicans Vs Jazz matchup in Salt Lake City on Thursday night, Utah fell 129-118 as a string of injuries thinned its rotation. The Pelicans Vs Jazz pairing underscored how absences from key players left the Jazz unable to contain a 42-point outburst from Saddiq Bey.
Utah Jazz injuries: Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Utah approached the first game of a two-game slate in Salt Lake City with a patchwork roster. Keyonte George has been sidelined for eight of the Jazz’s last nine games with ankle injuries; he was elevated to questionable for Utah’s previous outing against the Houston Rockets and then downgraded again ahead of tip-off, a sequence that extended his absence to nine missed games in his past 10 appearances. Lauri Markkanen suffered a right ankle and right hip issue during Jazz practice the day before the matchup and, after missing two of his last three games, will not play; he had posted 29 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the most recent game he did play against the Rockets. Jaren Jackson Jr. is listed out for the season after left knee surgery.
Pelicans Vs Jazz: Bey's 42-point night and 129-118 final score
New Orleans held on for a 129-118 victory, building separation late in the first half and preserving the margin through the fourth quarter. Saddiq Bey led the Pelicans with a season-high 42 points while adding seven assists and five rebounds. A 22-8 run by New Orleans closed out the second quarter and created the cushion the Pelicans carried to the finish.
Game flow in Salt Lake City: 22-8 run, 27-point maximum edge and late Jazz push
For much of the first half the Jazz matched the Pelicans, but the 22-8 spurt widened the gap entering halftime. New Orleans pushed its lead as high as 27 points in the second half; Utah whittled the deficit to 10 with 4: 40 remaining, but Bey sank a 3-pointer soon after to push the margin back over double digits and halt Utah’s momentum.
Role players step up for Utah: Ace Bailey, Elijah Harkless and John Konchar
Ace Bailey provided Utah’s primary scoring response, finishing with 23 points after pouring in 16 in the first half; he had managed just four points in the prior game against Houston. Coach Will Hardy noted that Bailey settled into the game and simplified his reads, which produced the bounce-back scoring. Elijah Harkless contributed a two-way effort with 11 points, six assists, four steals and a block, a performance Hardy described as ferocious and impactful. John Konchar tallied five steals, drew praise from the coach for his ball-hawking and remains in the league after eight seasons since going undrafted out of Purdue Fort Wayne. Rookie bench guard Jeremiah Fears delivered 12 first-half points for New Orleans. A highlight came when Cody Williams dunked over Karlo Matkovic and later attempted another dunk from near the free-throw line.
Pelicans roster status and draft ramifications
New Orleans entered the game largely healthy but without the two-way wing Trey Murphy III, who is dealing with a right shoulder issue; a separate listing identified him as Try Murphy III with a right shoulder contusion. The Pelicans carry a 17-42 record; the Jazz sit at 18-40. For Utah the matchup had additional significance: the team is trying to lock up a top-eight draft pick, while New Orleans does not own its own 2026 first-round pick, meaning a Pelicans victory does not complicate that franchise’s draft positioning.
What makes this notable is how personnel losses translated directly into competitive impact: recurring ankle and hip concerns for Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen, plus the season-ending absence of Jaren Jackson Jr., left Utah with a markedly younger and thinner starting group, and New Orleans exploited that shortfall across a decisive late run and sustained second-half control.
The loss marked the first of two straight meetings between the clubs in Salt Lake City and left the Jazz still navigating an injury-driven stretch as they face the remainder of the slate.
