DONOVAN Mitchell scored 28 points and the Utah Jazz blew open a close game in the third quarter to cruise to their sixth win in a row, 118-102 over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Mitchell was one of six Jazz players with multiple 3-pointers, hitting four of Utah’s 21 treys.
Joe Ingles (five), Jordan Clarkson (four), Bojan Bogdanović (three), Royce O’Neale (two), and Georges Niang (two) also had more than one triple for Utah, which shot 50.6 percent overall and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The Pelicans, who lost for the sixth time in seven games, only made six of 26 3-point attempts (23.1%) and 45.3% from the floor overall.
New Orleans star Zion Williamson had another strong showing but didn’t get enough help. Williamson finished with 32 points and five rebounds. Brandon Ingram was the only other New Orleans player in double figures, contributing 17 points.
Clarkson scored 18 off the bench for the Jazz. Ingles added 15 in his return from a three-game absence caused by an Achilles injury, and Rudy Gobert amassed 13 points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Jazz led for most of the first half, but the Pelicans took a 47-46 lead as Ingram capped an 11-0 run.
Clarkson hit a 3-pointer to snap Utah’s scoreless skid, and the Jazz finished the half on a 9-2 run for a 55-49 lead.
Utah busted the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Pelicans 36-20.
After missing three games with a knee injury, New Orleans guard Lonzo Ball scored seven points on 3-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes. He missed all six of his 3-point attempts. However, Ball was the only Pelicans starter with a positive plus-minus rating (plus-6).
Gobert got things going for Utah in the decisive third quarter with a dunk. The Jazz kept the pressure on New Orleans on the defensive end, and Utah surged on offense, ending the period on a 9-0 run thanks to three points by Gobert and 3-pointers from Clarkson and Ingles. — Reuters
