The franchise's first game, on October 30, 2002, was a 100-75 win over the Utah Jazz. Tomorrow's rematch finds New Orleans at 3-4 and on a three-game win streak, hosting a Jazz team that is 1-6 and missing its starting big men.
Where it began
The Hornets opened the New Orleans chapter of this franchise with a 100-75 win over Utah. At halftime the club retired Pete Maravich's number 7. It was a tribute to the city's earlier team, the old New Orleans Jazz, who had drafted him before moving to Salt Lake City in 1979. Tomorrow's opponent is the reason the Pelicans have a city-shaped hole in their history, and the reason they once went looking for a name.
A Jazz team in trouble
Utah is 1-6 and has lost five straight. Through the games counted this season, its net rating is minus-11.7, with a defensive rating of 115.7. Keyonte George is the one producing, at 22.8 points and 7.8 assists over four games. Jaren Jackson Jr. is out with a knee injury, Jusuf Nurkic is out with a foot injury, and Trey Alexander is out with a knee injury. Mo Bamba is day-to-day with an ankle. That is a thin frontcourt, and it matters for a Pelicans team that wins on the glass.
Not a free win
New Orleans lost to these same Jazz 120-119 on October 23. That result is why nobody in the building should treat a 1-6 record as a gift. The Pelicans have also been living close to the edge. Sunday in Memphis they survived an 11-0 Grizzlies run and won 135-134 in overtime, sealed by two Jeremiah Fears free throws with seven seconds left. Fears shot 5-of-17 in that game and still decided it at the line.
Who plays
Trey Murphy III is day-to-day with a knee injury and has an estimated return of tomorrow. Jordan Poole is out with a left ankle injury and carries the same estimate. An estimate is not a clearance, and Poole has bounced between out and day-to-day for a week. Yves Missi is out with a left knee injury, with an estimated return of November 8.
Bottom line
The record book offers no comfort on the calendar: the six November 3 games in our files are all losses, from 2003 through 2024. They say nothing about tomorrow, but the standings do. At 3-4, the Pelicans sit 11th, 0.5 games from tenth. A home win over a depleted, losing team keeps that gap closing. The franchise began with Utah. It can use Utah again.
Who did the Pelicans play in their first game in New Orleans?
The franchise opened on October 30, 2002, with a 100-75 win over the Utah Jazz. Pete Maravich's number 7 was retired at halftime.
What is the Pelicans' record heading into the Jazz game?
New Orleans is 3-4, 11th in the West, on a three-game win streak. Utah is 1-6 and has lost five in a row.
