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 Saddiq Bey had a season-high 42 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 129-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
Bay, who hit 14 of 20 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 3-pointers, had the second 40-point game of his NBA career.
Zion Williamson added 20 points and four steals to help the Pelicans win their third straight game. Dejonte Murray had 17 points, nine assists and four steals in his second game back from an Achilles injury. Jeremiah Fears had 12 points off the bench for New Orleans, which shot 52.3% (46 of 88) from the field and 38.2% (13 of 34) from 3-point range.
Ace Bailey led Utah with 23 points. Kyle Filipowski had 13 points and six rebounds and Isaiah Collier had 11 points and seven assists. Brice Sensabaugh added 20 points off the bench for the Jazz, who have lost their fourth straight game after shooting 50 percent (45 of 90) from the field and 32.4 percent (12 of 37) from beyond the arc.
Utah took a 35-29 lead late in the first quarter behind back-to-back baskets by Bailey and Svi Mykhailiuk. It capped off an outstanding start for Bailey, who scored 14 points in the quarter and scored 11 of the Jazz’s first 18 points.
The Pelicans erased the deficit and jumped ahead before halftime.
Williamson made layups on back-to-back possessions to spark an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans a 53-45 lead five minutes into the second quarter. This heralded a strong offensive finish for the Pelicans.
Filipowski scored six straight points to cut the deficit to 56-53. That was about as close as Utah got before halftime.
Bey shut down the Jazz with a driving layup and turnaround jumper on consecutive possessions. That started a 17-4 run that helped the Pelicans take a double-digit lead into halftime. Williamson finished the spurt with a running layup, putting New Orleans ahead 73-57 with 1 minute and 52 seconds left in the first half.
Bey and Williamson combined for 33 points on 11 baskets before halftime, and Bey also had six assists in the first half.
New Orleans finished the game on a 10-0 run from the start of the third quarter. Bey finished the game with a reverse layup and a converted 3-pointer off a steal by Williamson to give the Pelicans an 88-61 lead.
Utah rebounded in the fourth quarter and reduced the deficit to single digits. Oscar Tshiebwe’s layup pulled the Jazz within 125-118 with 1:36 left. Bey drove for back-to-back layups to keep Utah from getting close.
The two teams are scheduled to play again Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
–Field level media
