(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) passes the ball to a teammate as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) gets pushed over by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) gets pushed over by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Jeff Green (22) argues with referee Brian Forte (45) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) fakes New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick (4) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) shrugs a call as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) concentrates on the basket as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) is introduced as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) is introduced as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz center Tony Bradley (13) sinks one as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) makes his move as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) listens to coach during a time out as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates a teammates three pointer as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay (8) looks around New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) lays one up as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) pushes past New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes (10) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) pushes past the defense as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) spends time on the bench with his teammates as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New Orleans Pelicans guard E'Twaun Moore (55) puts pressure on Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay (8) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz center Tony Bradley (13) moves in for the monster block on New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes (10) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz center Tony Bradley (13) moves in for the monster block on New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes (10) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Lone Peak High School player New Orleans Pelicans guard Frank Jackson (15) looks for an opening as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) faces Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) finds a teammate while New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) puts on the pressure as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) is blocked by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and Utah Jazz center Tony Bradley (13) reach in for the rebound as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Lone Peak High School player New Orleans Pelicans guard Frank Jackson (15) sizes up the opposition as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New Orleans Pelicans guard Kenrich Williams (34) blocks Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bear dishes out the popcorn in peoples hats as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bear spins a popcorn bag and throws it into the crowd as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) reaches in for the ball against New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) finds his target as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) is all smiles following their 128-120 win as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates with fans the team win 128-120 as the Utah Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Sat. Nov. 23, 2019.
The start of Saturday’s game between the Jazz and Pelicans was delayed about five minutes because the shot clock on the basket by the New Orleans bench was not operating. To make matters worse, apparently the guy responsible for fixing it couldn’t find his toolbox anywhere.
Too soon?
Once the game got underway, Utah’s offense functioned as smoothly as it has all season in the first half, ground nearly to a halt for much of the second, then sputtered back to life in the final minutes, as the tired-legged Jazz held on for a 128-120 victory.
The win is Utah’s third in a row, and improves the team’s record to 11-5 in advance of an upcoming season-long five-game road trip.
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 of his 37 points before halftime, while Bojan Bogdanovic also registered 20 of his 28 in the opening two quarters. As a result, the team ran out to a 14-0 lead and racked up a season-high 74 first-half points in building a 20-point advantage.
Bojan Bogdanovic: “I think this is our best game offensively so far. Every single player is playing with high confidence.” pic.twitter.com/tIGH8StAkS
“We did a great job overall, especially in the first half. … I think this is our best game offensively so far,” Bogdanovic said. “Every single player is playing with high confidence. We started the game really good — that 14-0 run, that helped us to get our energy back.”
Of course, that energy level was hard to maintain. For one thing, the Pelicans were constantly pushing the pace. For another, Utah grew weary as the game went on — the result of the depth being impacted by Rudy Gobert sitting out with a sprained left ankle, not to mention having had to fend off the Warriors on Friday, a night that culminated with the evacuation of the arena due to the presence of a “suspicious package” that turned out to be simply a misplaced toolbox.
As a result, coach Quin Snyder said he was making it a point to keep tabs on players and make timely substitutions.
“The way New Orleans plays puts a lot of pressure on you. We subbed a variety of ways in the second half to try to have guys in some shorter stints. We felt that was important,” Snyder said. “We told guys, ‘Let us know when you’re tired and we’ll get somebody else in.’ Just a next-man-up type of mentality.”
While Gobert’s absence had a definite impact on the Jazz’s defense, especially late — Brandon Ingram’s 33 points and Jrue Holiday’s 28 led a furious Pelicans comeback in the second half — his replacement helped make up some of the slack.
Third-year center Tony Bradley made his first career start and acquitted himself well, hitting 7 of 8 shots in totaling 14 points, nine rebounds, and a block in 22 foul-plagued minutes.
He was typically low-key about it afterward (“All I’m thinking is, ‘play hard, try to rebound, run the floor, and defend as best I can.’ That’s all.”), but his teammates weren’t letting him off the hook that easily.
As the media interviewed Bradley at his locker postgame, Royce O’Neale hovered nearby, Georges Niang shouted encouragement, and Gobert himself joined the scrum, grabbed a mic, and asked a question (for the record: “Hey Tone, how did you feel out there tonight?”).
Rudy Gobert joins the media scrum around Tony Bradley, and all decorum quickly deteriorates pic.twitter.com/lBLfpDlV80
When Bradley was subsequently asked in jest if he was ready to now challenge Gobert for the starting spot, he sheepishly responded, “No comment.” When a follow-up query suggested he and Gobert could be the new Tim Duncan and David Robinson, he shook his head and opined, “I don’t know how to answer all these questions, man!”
The Jazz certainly had to find some answers as the second half progressed.
New Orleans’ high-octane offense started to wear the team down, and halved the Pels’ deficit heading into the final quarter.
On several occasions in the final minutes, the Pelicans crawled within seven — only for the Jazz to answer back. A Mike Conley-to-Bogdanovic alley-oop here, a Conley 3-pointer there, and plenty of trips to the foul line besides.
Jeff Green and Emmanuel Mudiay added 15 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
And in the end, despite being short-handed, despite being tired, despite the offense slowing down, it proved to be enough.
“We were aggressive shooting the ball. Guys were locked in. When they had opportunities — maybe you’re not as open as you’d like to be, but you’re open enough to get a good look off and be on-balance,” Snyder said. “I thought we were taking good shots and shooting the ball with confidence, and really playing for each other.”
Quin Snyder, on what clicked for the offense in the first half: “We were aggressive shooting the ball. Guys were locked in. ... I thought we were taking good shots and shooting the ball with confidence, and really playing for each other.” pic.twitter.com/JFP8d1rvsK