NBA: Saddiq Bey scores 42 as hot-shooting Pelicans top Jazz

Saddiq Bey scored a season-high 42 points, along with seven assists and five rebounds, to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 129-118 victory over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday night.

Bey, who shot 14 of 20 from the field, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, recorded the second 40-point game of his NBA career. Zion Williamson added 20 points and four steals, helping New Orleans secure their third straight win. Dejounte Murray contributed 17 points, nine assists, and four steals in his second game back from an Achilles tendon injury. Jeremiah Fears added 12 points off the bench as the Pelicans shot 52.3% (46 of 88) from the field and 38.2% (13 of 34) from three-point range.

Ace Bailey led Utah with 23 points. Kyle Filipowski added 13 points and six rebounds, while Isaiah Collier finished with 11 points and seven assists. Brice Sensabaugh scored 20 points, Svi Mykhailiuk had 14, and Elijah Harkless added 11 off the bench for the Jazz, who suffered their fourth straight loss after shooting 50% (45 of 90) from the field and 32.4% (12 of 37) from three-point range.

Utah built a 35-29 late first-quarter lead, fueled by back-to-back baskets from Bailey and Mykhailiuk. Bailey scored 14 points in the opening quarter, accounting for 11 of the Jazz’s first 18 points.

The Pelicans erased the deficit and surged ahead before halftime. Williamson drove for layups on consecutive possessions to spark an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans a 53-45 lead midway through the second quarter. Filipowski scored six straight points to narrow the gap to 56-53, but that was as close as Utah would get before halftime.

Bey stopped the Jazz with a driving layup and turnaround jumper on consecutive possessions, sparking a 17-4 run that gave the Pelicans a double-digit lead. Williamson finished the spurt with a running layup, putting New Orleans up 73-57 with 1:52 left in the half. Bey and Williamson combined for 33 points on 11 baskets before halftime, with Bey also distributing six assists in the first half.

New Orleans effectively put the game away with a 10-0 run to start the third quarter. Bey capped the run with a reverse layup and a transition three-pointer off a steal by Williamson, giving the Pelicans an 88-61 advantage.

Utah rallied in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to single digits. Oscar Tshiebwe’s layup brought the Jazz within 125-118 with 1:36 remaining, but Bey drove for back-to-back layups to keep Utah from closing the gap.

The two teams will meet again in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

—Field Level Media/Reuters