Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans: Match Preview and Predictions - 16th January 2020
Match details
Fixture: Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans
Date & Time: Thursday, 16 January 2020 (8:00 PM ET)
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Last game results
Utah Jazz (28-12): 118-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets (Tuesday, 14 January 2020)
New Orleans Pelicans (15-26): 117-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons (Monday, 13 January 2020)
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz are enjoying a great start to 2020, having won seven straight since 1 January. The Jazz have won 10 consecutive games and hold the 2nd seed in the NBA's Western Conference.
Tuesday night, Utah beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-107 and had three players scoring over 20 points. Joe Ingles had 27 points, Donovan Mitchell 25 and Rudy Gobert a double-double with 22 points and 18 rebounds in the victory.
Key Player: Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is the offensive star of the Utah Jazz. This season, his third in the Association, Mitchell is averaging 24.2 points per game.
Mitchell has played in nine games during the Jazz's current 10-game winning streak, averaging 22.3 points and scoring 25 or more four times in that stretch.
Jazz predicted lineup
Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Royce O'Neale, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans are 4-3 since the start of 2020, but just 15-26 for the season. It is also problematic that they have several key players out of the lineup due to injuries - like Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors and J.J. Redick.
Rookie sensation Zion Williamson is practising with the team and is expected to make his season debut sometime in January, according to reports.
Despite their injury woes, the Pelicans knocked off the Detroit Pistons in overtime with a 117-110 victory on Monday night. Jahlil Okafor led the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Lonzo Ball also produced a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Key Player: Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram is having a breakout season since the deal that sent him, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart to New Orleans. In his first season with the Pelicans, Ingram is averaging 25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
However, he did miss the Monday night victory against the Detroit Pistons because of a sore right knee, and would be hoping to be fully fit for tonight's game.
Pelicans predicted lineup
Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Jahlil Okafor, E'Twaun Moore, Nicolo Melli
Jazz vs Pelicans Match Prediction
This is a matchup between two Western Conference franchises headed in opposite directions. The Jazz have had a hot 7-0 start to the new year and are on a 10-game winning streak. They are also 13-9 when playing on the road this season.
The Pelicans have won four of their last seven contests but are just 7-12 when playing at home. The last time these two teams met was on 6 January 2020, also in New Orleans, and it was a close affair with Utah winning 128-126.
At the moment, the Pelicans have several players nursing injuries. That will likely cost them depth and games, and the Utah Jazz are likely to take advantage of the situation and extend their winning streak.
Where to watch Jazz vs Pelicans?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on Fox Sports- New Orleans and At&T Sportsnet.