Bogdanovic, Jazz outlast Pelicans late: 128-126

Reuters

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 35 points, and the visiting Utah Jazz won their sixth straight game, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans, 128-126 on Jan. 6.

The Jazz, who won for the 11th time in their last 12 games, held the Pelicans scoreless for the final 1:27. Rudy Gobert, who finished with 19 rebounds, disrupted Brandon Ingram’s attempted tying layup with one second left.

The Pelicans were unhappy with the lack of a foul call against Gobert, who appeared to hit Ingram’s arm as he released.

“All we did was exactly what we were supposed to do — took the ball, drove it hard at the basket — and then they determined it wasn’t a foul,” head coach Alvin Gentry said afterward. “End of game.”

Joe Ingles added 22 points, and Donovan Mitchell scored 19, including a tie-breaking jumper for the game’s final points with 1:12 to play. Jordan Clarkson scored 16 for the Jazz.

Ingram had 35 to lead the Pelicans, who played without second-leading scorer Jrue Holiday, who has a left elbow contusion. JJ Redick added 23, Lonzo Ball had 21 and E’Twaun Moore came off the bench to score 13.

The Pelicans scored the first five points of the third quarter to take a one-point lead before the Jazz made a run. Bogdanovic scored the final seven points in a 14-4 run that gave Utah an 82-73 lead, before Ingram got hot.

Ingram scored 12 points as New Orleans finished on a 24-13 run to take a 97-95 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Georges Niang and Ingles both made a 3-pointer as the Jazz took a 105-103 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Utah kept the Pelicans at bay until Ball’s 3-pointer tied the score at 121 with 3:15 left. Ingles broke the tie by making a pair of free throws, and the Jazz pushed the lead to five before Ingram’s 3-pointer capped a 5-0 run.

Mitchell’s jumper put the Jazz back on top with 1:12 left, and neither team scored again.

The Jazz scored the first eight points of the game, but Ingram brought the Pelicans back in a hot-shooting first quarter for both teams. Ingram scored 11 points in the period, including a buzzer-beating tip-in that gave New Orleans a 36-35 lead.

The Jazz made 6 of 11 3-pointers and New Orleans made 2 of 8 in the second period as the Jazz took a 68-64 halftime lead.