Pelicans 105, Jazz 98
NEW ORLEANS -- Forward Anthony Davis scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked eight shots and forward Ryan Anderson hit two back-to-back 3-pointers during a critical 14-2 fourth-quarter surge to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena.
Rookie guard Trey Burke, who had missed Utah's first 12 games of the season with a broken finger, made his NBA debut, scoring 11 points in just 12 minutes. But Utah (1-12) could not overcome a 1-for-17 shooting night by shooting guard Gordon Hayward, who had torched the Pelicans for 27 points in its only victory of the season last week. Hayward missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.
New Orleans led only 73-71 early in the fourth quarter, but guard Tyreke Evans hit a pair of fast-break layups to start the critical run. Anderson nailed three 3-pointers in a 3:53 stretch to put the Pelicans (5-6) on top 93-84 with 5:01 left. Anderson connected on four of six from long range to finish with 19 points. The victory snapped the Pelicans' four-game losing streak to the Jazz.
Guard John Lucas' three 3-pointers in the first 3:29 of the third quarter put Utah on top, 57-51. Two of his long-range jumpers came in the midst of an 11-0 Utah run. But New Orleans closed the quarter on a 22-12 run to lead 73-69 at the end of the third quarter.
Evans was the catalyst, getting a pair of assists and a steal in the middle of an 8-0 run.
Hayward had torched the Pelicans with 27 points and 10 assists in Utah's only victory of the season -- 111-105 last Wednesday -- but he missed 10 of 11 shots in the first half as New Orleans built a 45-41 lead. By the end of the third quarter, he had missed 15 of 16 shots.
Davis had 10 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots in the first half, and that helped make up for a rough shooting start for guard Eric Gordon, who was 1-for-8 from the floor. David had come close to his first triple-double in the Pelicans' 135-98 win over Philadelphia, scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking eight shots despite sitting out the final 15 minutes of the blowout.
Playing with a small bandage over his right index finger, rookie guard Trey Burke, the No. 9 overall pick in this year's draft, made his NBA debut for Utah. Burke showed his quickness, flashing in for a pair of layups in 5:36 of first-half action.
NOTES: Rookie G Trey Burke, Utah's No. 1 pick out of Michigan who missed the first 12 games of the season with a broken right index finger, came off the bench to play in his first NBA game. "We're very excited for him," said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin. "We have some restrictions on him. We want to be careful not to put a lot of pressure on a young guy, and we'll let him play through the process." ... Corbin said he was most excited about gaining Burke's speed in the open court, but he'll be patient. "He's been working out, but he's not in game shape," Corbin said. ... Utah F Jeremy Evans (strained right rotator cuff) also made his first appearance this season. ... F Marvin Williams was out with a broken nose. ... The fast-paced Pelicans rank 12th in the NBA in scoring (100.7 ppg), a large step up from 94.1 ppg (25th) last season. "The No. 1 thing is moving
the ball and playing up-tempo and for everybody to get easy shots," said G Eric Gordon. "And then everything will be free flowing." ... The Pelicans' 52 field goals in a 135-98 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night were the most in the NBA this season.
