The Utah Jazz entered Friday night in need of a bounce-back game following their disappointing season-opening loss, and that’s exactly what they got. It wasn’t necessarily a perfect game, but Utah earned its first win of the 2026-27 season with a thrilling, down-to-the-wire 120-119 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Delta Center in front of its home crowd. It was a quality response after getting blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first game of the season, and one that showed what this team is capable of when playing well.
The Jazz came out with much more energy than they showed in the opener, especially on the offensive end. It was a sluggish Game 1 for Utah, but this was a much different story. It was all about attacking the paint early, moving the ball and having a balanced scoring attack. Utah scored 31 points in each of the first two quarters, taking a 62-52 lead into halftime. The Jazz ultimately led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, and though it looked like they were on track for a double-digit win, the Pelicans stormed back and made this a game late.
New Orleans scored 38 points in the third quarter and took the lead in the second half as well. Trailing entering the fourth quarter, the Jazz had some work to do after a poor start to the second half, and they ultimately got the job done when it mattered most. Utah put together a crucial 15-3 run in the final period to regain control, but even then, the game came down to the final possession.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was Utah’s leading scorer with 24 points and 10 rebounds, putting together a strong performance on both ends of the floor. Keyonte George had 19 points and 10 assists, while Jaxson Hayes was the surprise star of the show off the bench. The center scored 17 points and provided a much-needed spark. Lauri Markkanen struggled to find his rhythm yet again, scoring just 16 points despite being an All-Star-caliber talent. Rookie Darryn Peterson had his best night of the young regular season with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including two go-ahead free throws with 50 seconds remaining in the game. Those ultimately proved to be the difference.
Again, it was a performance that certainly had its flaws, but that’s the NBA, and the Jazz got the job done. Utah finished with 31 assists and showed much more balance offensively than it did in its season opener. There are still areas to improve, especially defensively, but the Jazz showed resilience when it mattered most. Now sitting at 1-1, Utah will look to build on this momentum when it hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.