The New Orleans Pelicans dropped another close one on Friday night against the Utah Jazz, falling 120-119. This was another game where they had a chance to win or tie it in the last possession, but nothing materialized as Dejounte Murray held the ball for a mid-range shot that didn't go in.
That has been one of the biggest problems with this offense, and it goes against the identity that Jamahl Mosley said he wanted. The ball stopped far too often again in this game, especially late, and they lost the assist battle, 31 to 18.
No matter the result of this game, the most impactful moment of the night came in the first half when star center Yves Missi went down with a left knee injury after Zion Williamson fell on him. A freak accident that left Missi in a ton of pain, grabbing at his leg. He was helped off the court as he couldn't walk under his own power and was ruled out soon after.
Missi going down is the worst-case scenario for this team, as he is by far their best interior defender and rebounder and has been off to a fantastic start this season. They don't have a great answer for his loss if it goes more than one game.
Jaxson Hayes and Jaren Jackson Jr. were able to be much more effective in this game without the presence of Missi in the paint. Derik Queen does look better on defense this season, but he is still not at that level. Queen did have a huge defensive stop late, where he got a steal off Keyonte George in the paint that turned into fast-break points and drew the game within one.
Karlo Matkovic will likely see more minutes moving forward, which is a positive. He had nine minutes in this game and was a +4 with seven points, four rebounds and two steals.
The biggest positive from this one was the play of Saddiq Bey. As they get things figured out on the offensive side of the ball, he has been a stabilizing force. Bey had an ultra-efficient 20 points on 8-of-12 from the field.
An important thing to note is that Bey closed this game for Jeremiah Fears, who had another rough game with seven points and a single assist while finishing the game with a team-worst -11. On Saturday night, that could be a change made in the starting lineup, which was a poor combination once again in this game.
Another thing that has to change is Trey Murphy's involvement. He was aggressive in the start and looked to be back on track, but completely disappeared on the offensive side of the ball in the second half. That can't happen if this team wants to win games.
New Orleans now has a rested Denver Nuggets on the docket for Saturday night.