February 26, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Sadiq Bey (41) scores a goal in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Image The New Orleans Pelicans remain at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but they are making progress.
The team has won two games in a row since starting point guard Dejounte Murray made his season debut after recovering from Achilles tendon surgery.
Murray had 17 points, nine assists and four steals in Thursday’s 129-118 win at the Utah Jazz, and the two teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday in Salt Lake City. However, Murray will not participate in the rematch.
“It’s amazing,” forward Saddiq Bey, who scored a season-high 42 points on Thursday, said of Murray’s immediate impact. “He really controls the tempo and pace. It’s great to see him playing at this level as soon as he gets back.”
Murray’s contributions add to the improvement the Pelicans have already shown of late. They are 3-0 since veteran center DeAndre Jordan stepped into the starting lineup after not playing since late October and have won five of their last seven.
The team is 8-6 since top defenseman Herb Jones returned from injury and interim coach James Borrego kept Bey in the starting lineup and brought in rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears off the bench.
“We are stronger, more defensive, bigger and can block,” Borrego said of the revamped lineup.
New Orleans is hoping to get more key players back. Leading scorer Trey Murphy III (shoulder) is scheduled to miss Saturday, but center Eve Missy (calf), who forced Borrego to roll the dice with Jordan, is listed as questionable.
“It’s very complicated now and it’s going to get more complicated in the next game or two,” Borrego said. “But it’s a good problem. We’ve been waiting for this. It’s a riddle we’ll have to solve day and night.”
Utah coach Will Hardy has his own puzzle to solve, not because there are fewer healthy players, but because there are fewer of them.
Leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (hip) joined the sidelines Thursday and is expected to miss two weeks, while second-leading scorer Kyonte George (ankle) has missed his sixth straight game. George is questionable for Saturday.
Standout Jaren Jackson Jr. played in just three games after being acquired in a trade with Memphis before undergoing season-ending knee surgery, while leading rebounder Jusuf Nurkic underwent season-ending nose surgery.
Despite having to move players from the bench to the starting lineup, Hardy found reserves that could lift the team against the Pelicans.
New Orleans used a 41-23 advantage and a 10-0 spurt in the second quarter to start the second half in command and lead by as many as 27 points before the Jazz battled back and outscored the Pelicans 57-51 in the second half.
“I thought the team really competed in the last group and for most of the second half,” Hardy said. “I was really happy with that group that we were able to come out and win in the second half. In the second quarter, sloppy play on offense and not a lot of resistance on defense took the game away from us.”
Utah’s bench outscored its opponents 61-38 with three reserves scoring in double figures: Brice Sensabaugh (20), Svi Mykhailiuk (14) and Elijah Harkless (11).
–Field level media
