A look at three key numbers related to Sunday’s game at the Smoothie King Center between Utah and New Orleans (6 p.m. Central, Bally Sports New Orleans, WRNO 99.5 FM):
3, 5: Based on the extremely small sample size of two games apiece for Utah and New Orleans, the scoreboard operator should be prepared for a busy Sunday night, because the Pelicans and Jazz rank third and fifth, respectively, in offensive efficiency. New Orleans is putting up 123.3 points per 100 possessions through its two road wins at Brooklyn and Charlotte, while Utah is at 118.1 in the same category after surprising Denver in Salt Lake City, then winning on Minnesota’s home floor. It’s been a superb start for both Western Conference teams in a variety of areas, resulting in the Pelicans (outscoring opponents by 16.0 points per 100 possessions) and Jazz (12.0) also placing second and fourth, respectively, in net rating. Three-point shooting has been a strength for both squads in Week 1 of the schedule as well, with New Orleans fourth in percentage (41.7), while Utah is sixth (40.9). The Jazz lead the NBA with 18.0 three-pointers made per game.
4: Speaking of prolific offense, New Orleans has four players who are averaging over 20 points per game and ranked among the NBA’s top 50 scorers at this early stage of the schedule. Brandon Ingram leads the Pelicans group in the 12th spot at 28.0 points per game, followed by Jonas Valanciunas (No. 32, 22.5), CJ McCollum (No. 39, 21.0) and Zion Williamson (No. 42, 20.5). Among all 30 NBA teams, the only clubs that even have three players averaging 20.0 or more are Philadelphia (Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey) and Atlanta (Trae Young, John Collins, Dejounte Murray). Valanciunas and Ingram also rank in the league’s top 40 in shooting percentage from the field.
59.0: New Orleans league-leading rebounding percentage, meaning the Pelicans collected 59 percent of all available boards in their games against the Nets and Hornets. By comparison, Memphis led the NBA in 2021-22 with a rebounding percentage of 52.6; no team has finished over 53.0 at the end of a regular season since Denver posted a 53.2 in 2016-17. It’s unlikely the Pelicans or any team can sustain the level of dominance they’ve exhibited in Week 1 of the schedule, but New Orleans also has an excellent recent track record on the backboards. The Pelicans finished third in rebounding percentage last season (without Williamson), as well as second (at 52.7) during the 2020-21 campaign in which Williamson was selected an All-Star and played 61 of 72 games. Entering Sunday’s games, Valanciunas ranks second individually at 15.0 rebounds per game, behind only Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert (19.5), a longtime Utah center prior to an offseason trade.
HYPE: Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans 10/23/2022
Previous Game Starting Lineups
UTAH (2-0)
Friday win at Minnesota
Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, Jarred Vanderbilt
Notes: This group is 2-0. All three frontcourt starters in this alignment are Jazz newcomers, with Markkanen coming from Cleveland, Olynyk arriving in a trade by Detroit and Vanderbilt having spent last season with Minnesota. … Clarkson has predominantly been a reserve since joining Utah, as a previous Sixth Man of the Year award winner. He’d only made four total starts for the Jazz in 189 appearances prior to his pair of nods in Week 1.
NEW ORLEANS (2-0)
Friday win at Charlotte
CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Notes: This group is 2-0. McCollum, Jones and Valanciunas all joined the Pelicans last season – in McCollum’s case, as part of a February trade – while Ingram and Williamson came to the Crescent City in 2019. … New Orleans is seeking its first 3-0 start since it went 4-0 in 2018-19. The longest unbeaten start to a regular season in team history was an 8-0 launch in 2010-11, under rookie NBA head coach Monty Williams.
FanDuel Keys to the Game
ESTABLISH HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE
It’s a Sunday night in October, but it won’t be shocking if the atmosphere somewhat resembles springtime basketball. Pelicans fans have been waiting since April to get back in the Smoothie King Center, enthusiasm that led to a home opener that sold out well in advance. Sunday marks the first opportunity for New Orleans to demonstrate significant improvement in its home arena, after going just 19-22 last season.
THIRD GAME, SECOND CHANCES
Both teams have been excellent at generating extra opportunities on offense while going 2-0. New Orleans is No. 1 in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage (42.3), while Utah is second at 37.8. Valanciunas leads the Pelicans at 5.0 O-boards per game and ranks third in the NBA individually, while the active Vanderbilt spearheads the Jazz at 4.5.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
At the starting forward spots, New Orleans’ tandem of Ingram and Williamson boasts more individual accolades (both All-Stars earlier this decade), but Markkanen and Olynyk have helped key Utah’s eye-opening 2-0 start. Markkanen leads the Jazz at 20.5 ppg; Olynyk is off to a scorching 7/9 start from three-point range.
"behind" - Google News
October 23, 2022 at 09:53PM
https://ift.tt/sac8Qmq
Behind the Numbers: Jazz at Pelicans (10/23/22) - NBA.com
"behind" - Google News
https://ift.tt/eY3NHbt
https://ift.tt/dqZ2fOb
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Behind the Numbers: Jazz at Pelicans (10/23/22) - NBA.com"
Post a Comment