New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - November 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Utah Jazz will host the New Orleans Pelicans at the Vivint Arena for the back-end of a two-game set on Saturday.
Their first meeting of the season last night ended with an unexpected Pelicans victory, thanks to a game-winning three-pointer by Devonte' Graham. The Jazz, meanwhile, played lackadaisical basketball all night, and had no energy at the defensive end.
Brandon Ingram finishes with 21 PTS, 8 REB and 5 AST, and Devonte' Graham drains a game-winning triple with 1.2 seconds on the clock to lift the @PelicansNBA to the win!
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 15 PTS
Willy Hernangomez: 13 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST
Jonas Valanciunas: 11 PTS, 10 REB https://t.co/WXF8XOWnVT
The last Utah Jazz possession was underwhelming, to say the least. Moreover, Donovan Mitchell's poor shot selection and decision-making was a major factor in their 98-97 loss on the night.
With the game on the line, he bled the clock to the end of the shot clock before attempting a wild layup in traffic. He had four other players waiting on some pick or a kick-out pass that never came. To exacerbate matters, he finished with 16 points on 6-21 shooting from the field along with four turnovers. Bojan Bogdanovic was a game-high 23 points on 9-14 shooting on the night, though.
Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram had a great game for the New Orleans Pelicans. He scored 21 points with eight rebounds and five assists, although he did so on average shooting splits.
The Pelicans are dealing with a lot of injuries, and are ranked in the bottom five in both offensive and defensive rating. They will get another crack at defeating the Utah Jazz on Saturday, but will need to execute better because the Jazz will be motivated to avoid another loss.
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report
Zion Williamson is still out for the New Orleans Pelicans due to a foot fracture. He has reportedly been cleared for full team practice, but his return timeline is still unclear.
He hasn't played a single game for the Pelicans this season, and their playoff hopes might be over before we know it.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (fractured foot) has been cleared for full basketball activities, team says.
Moreover, Daulton Hommes is out due to a tubular stress fracture, and Didi Louzada is still in the middle of his suspension. Louzada visited his hometown in Brazil, and unknowingly took nutritional supplements that were in direct violation of the NBA's anti-drug policy.
He was suspended for 25 days, a week ago. He clarified that he did so by mistake, and has fully co-operated with the league, saying:
"I would never knowingly take anything that violates NBA rules. I accept my responsibility in this situation. I deeply regret that this happened, and I apologize to my team, my teammates and Pelicans fans for this mistake."
Utah Jazz Injury Report
The Utah Jazz feature a clean injury report against the New Orleans Pelicans. Royce O'Neale was listed as questionable in their last night's game due to an ankle sprain, but eventually played 32 minutes.
Additionally, players like Udoka Azubuike, Jared Butler and Elijah Hughes are all in the G-League on assignment. Azubuike suffered a major injury in the Salt Lake City Stars' last game against the Stockton Kings, and is out for the foreseeable future.
Video of Jazz center Udoka Azubuike's serious leg injury for the SLC Stars tonight. Not for the squeamish. https://t.co/9W51E6fbzy
New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz: Predicted Lineups
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans will likely deploy the same lineup against the Jazz as the one they did in their last game.
Devonte Graham and Josh Hart will likely start in the backcourt, and Brandon Ingram should be at the small forward spot. Herb Jones could start as the power forward again until Williamson returns, while Jonas Valanciunas retains his usual center position.
Additionally, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Willy Hernangomez and Tomas Satoransky will likely play the most minutes off the bench.
Utah Jazz
With Royce O'Neale off the injury report, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder will likely not make any changes to his starting lineup.
Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell should form a star backcourt with Conley running point. Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O'Neale should retain their small forward and power forward roles, respectively, while Rudy Gobert starts at center. Meanwhile, Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson have continued to impress in their Sixth Man roles.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz: Predicted Starting 5s
New Orleans Pelicans
G - Devonte' Graham | G - Josh Hart | F - Brandon Ingram | F - Herb Jones | C - Jonas Valanciunas.
Utah Jazz
G - Mike Conley | G - Donovan Mitchell | F - Bojan Bogdanovic | F - Royce O'Neale | C - Rudy Gobert.