Mitchell scores 29, Jazz top Pelicans 115-104

Updated Jan. 3, 2022 10:59 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, Bojan Bogdanovic added 21, and Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-104 on Monday night to extend their road winning streak to nine games.

Bogdanovic hit two of his five 3s in the final 2:31, the first pushing Utah's lead to eight points and the second widening the advantage to 11 with 1:22 to go.

Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz, who led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. New Orleans briefly got as close as five points before Bogdanovic's wide-open 3 from the right corner helped Utah pull away again for its seventh victory in eight games.

Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and nine assists, and Josh Hart added 15 points and nine assists for New Orleans, which dropped its second straight and lost for the third time in four games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 13 points in a reserve role. Brandon Ingram, averaging a Pelicans-high 22.9 points per game this season, missed 15 of 18 shots and finished with 10 points in his return from a two-game absence caused by a sore left Achilles tendon.

Utah, which came in averaging an NBA-best 15 3-pointers per game, made 19 of 39 (48.7%) from deep, with Mitchell hitting five and Conley four. The Pelicans shot 12 of 46 (26.1%) from 3-point range.

Neither team led by more than six points during a difficult first half for both offenses, with Utah shooting 40.9% and New Orleans 38.6%.

Conley scored 12 of his points and Mitchell had 10 in the opening 24 minutes, after which the Jazz led 52-49.

Utah widened its lead to 12 in the third quarter, when Bogdanovic hit five of eight shots, including two 3s.

New Orleans put together a 7-2 run in the final two minutes of the period that included Gary Clark's 3 and Jaxson Hayes' alley-oop layup, and which left Utah leading 82-77.

TIP-INS

Jazz: Gobert's double-double was his NBA-leading 31st this season. Gobert also had two blocks and two steals. ... Jordan Clarkson scored 14 points in a reserve role. ... Utah won despite not scoring any fast-break points, scoring nine second-chance points to the Pelicans' 29, being outscored 50-38 in the paint, being outrebounded 47-43 and committing 15 turnovers to New Orleans' 10.

Pelicans: Missed eight of 22 free throws. ... Hart missed three of four free throws, making him four of his last 13 from the foul line. ... Pelicans coach Willie Green successfully challenged a goaltending call against Hayes at the end of the third quarter. Replays showed Hayes got a fingertip on the ball a moment before it hit the glass. ... Green received a technical foul in the fourth quarter after officials declined to call a foul on Gobert when the Utah center appeared to disrupt Ingram's layup attempt by grabbing the arm of the Pelicans forward.

UP NEXT

Jazz: Visit Denver on Wednesday night.

Pelicans: Play their second home game in two nights when they host Phoenix on Tuesday.

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