The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz. The Pelicans are having an excellent season and tied for the best record in the West at 18-9.

A win in this game could give them sole possession of first place in the West. The Jazz, on the other hand, got off to a hot start but have slowed down and are in the eighth seed in the West.

A win could push them to seventh place, but a loss could demote them to ninth.

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The Pelicans and Jazz faced each other in their last game. The Jazz had a seven-point lead at the half and came out running in the third quarter. Utah outscored New Orleans 39-26 that quarter and never looked back.

The Pelicans ended up winning 121-100. The Pelicans were without Brandon Ingram (and will be without him again this game), and it proved to be detrimental to their performance.

Zion Williamson led all scorers with 26 points, but the Pelicans struggled to shoot from deep. They shot more than 25 times from behind the three-point line but only made four shots. The Jazz had a much stronger day from the field and hit 47.6% of their shots.

Malik Beasley led the Jazz with 21 points off the bench, and Lauri Markkanen and Jarred Vanderbilt combined for 37 points and 25 rebounds.

Even though the Jazz won their last game, I would pick the Pelicans to win this one. Since Brandon Ingram is out, these teams are more evenly matched, but the Pelicans are still the better squad.

New Orleans was on a seven-game winning streak before their loss on Tuesday and has a strong offense and defense. However, the Pelicans’ defense will be the difference today. They will likely make the necessary changes from last game and defend the Jazz better.

In addition, I expect the Pelicans to have a stronger offensive performance and see a stronger performance from C.J. McCollum. McCullom only had 14 points and a /- of -22 last game. He will heat up in this game and provide some much-needed offense. Bet on the Pelicans.

My Prediction: Pelicans 115, Jazz 112

Back at it again 🏀

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— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 15, 2022

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| Title: New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz Betting Preview
| Author: Max Heering
| Date: Dec 15, 2022