Rookie Jeremiah Fears set a New Orleans Pelicans report with 40 factors, powering the crew to a 156-137 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday on the Smoothie King Heart. Jordan Poole added 34 factors, together with 22 within the third quarter, when the Pelicans scored a franchise-record 50 factors in a single interval.
New Orleans overcame the absence of a number of common starters, together with Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and Saddiq Bey. Regardless of restricted rotation, the Pelicans set a franchise report for factors in a sport, surpassing their earlier excessive of 153 factors towards Utah in January 2024.
Micah Peavy scored a season-high 20 factors, whereas 2023 first-round decide Jordan Hawkins contributed 25. Derik Queen, the thirteenth total decide in 2025, recorded 17 factors and 12 rebounds. Veteran Kevon Looney added 12 rebounds in his seventh begin of the season as New Orleans dominated inside, ending with 90 factors within the paint.
Fears shot 17 of 29 from the sector and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line, eclipsing the earlier rookie scoring mark of 37 set by Marcus Thornton in 2010. Poole made 7 of 16 from three-point vary, marking a robust efficiency in his seventh begin of the season after spending a lot of the yr off the bench.
For Utah, Kennedy Chandler led with 31 factors, Cody Williams added 26, and Bez Mbeng posted a career-high 26. Brice Sensabaugh, who had averaged 25.7 factors over the previous 10 video games, completed with 18, whereas John Konchar recorded a triple-double with 12 factors, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Jazz fell to 21-58, marking their tenth consecutive loss.
New Orleans shot 58% from the sector, hitting 61 of 106 makes an attempt, whereas Utah transformed 51% of its pictures. The Pelicans additionally made 20 of 23 free throws and 14 of 34 from three-point vary, showcasing balanced scoring throughout their roster.
The third quarter surge proved decisive as New Orleans turned a aggressive sport right into a blowout, with Fears and Poole main the way in which. Utah was unable to recuperate, regardless of sturdy particular person performances, and fell additional behind within the Western Convention standings.
The Pelicans shut the common season on the street towards the Boston Celtics on Friday, whereas the Jazz will host the Memphis Grizzlies of their last house sport. New Orleans snapped an eight-game shedding streak, ending the season on a historic offensive observe.
