New Orleans Pelicans Survive Second Straight Overtime To Beat Utah Jazz In Rematch

Off the back of an incredible overtime performance from forward Saddiq Bey, the New Orleans Pelicans skate past the Utah Jazz 120-113 in overtime for their fourth straight win to even out at 4-4.

This was one of the better examples of late-game management that this team has had, as they have now had back-to-back overtime wins. It's not perfect, but this squad is getting better in these moments.

Bey finished with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. He was unstoppable late, going 3-for-3 from the field in overtime and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe.

Derik Queen was the savior of this game in the fourth. He started by just moving the ball around (ignoring his bad pass on the turnover), but he took over down the stretch. It wasn't the most efficient night for him, but he finished nicely with 20 points, along with eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. He has re-found his rhythm as a playmaker in this offense, and it has opened up a ton when he is on the court.

There was pretty much nothing working on offense until he took over late. He was unstoppable in the post for a few possessions, using his spin move to get to the bucket. It was a much-needed revival of an offense that was dead in the water. Jamahl Mosley went with Queen down the stretch until his play started to slow down late, seemingly tired.

Queen sharing the floor and taking over really helped the flow of the offense. Bey coming in for a small-ball lineup when Queen got tired also helped. 

Another person who took over late was Zion Williamson. He was a victim of that early-game poor ball movement, and didn't get his first points until there were about seven minutes left in the third. One might not know that just by looking over the box score, as he finished with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. His defense was crucial late and he stopped a red-hot Keyonte George a few times.

George was another point guard who was able to cook this defense. He had 39 points and opened overtime with two quick threes in the first minute, but didn't score again after that. With Ty Jerome also going off for 40 in the last game, the team needs to watch out for the soft spots in their defense that are being exposed by guards. There was Jamal Murray with 42.

This was an important win for this team. Fears did improve with Murray over time, finishing with 19 points, but he still only had two assists. That's something the team will need to see improve overall. They had 23 assists overall, the lowest of the last four games.

The Pelicans will return to the floor on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first NBA Cup game of the season.