Valanciunas and the Pelicans take on conference foe Utah
New Orleans Pelicans (5-16, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (12-7, third in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Saturday, 9 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Jazz -13; over/under is 217
BOTTOM LINE: Utah hosts New Orleans in a matchup of Western Conference teams.
The Jazz are 7-2 in Western Conference games. Utah ranks sixth in the league with 36.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 11.8.
The Pelicans have gone 4-8 against Western Conference opponents. New Orleans gives up 108.7 points to opponents and has been outscored by 6.9 points per game.
The two teams matchup for the second time this season. The Pelicans defeated the Jazz 98-97 in their last meeting on Nov. 27. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 21 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 23 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Donovan Mitchell is averaging 22.9 points, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals for the Jazz. Bogdanovic is averaging 17.5 points over the last 10 games for Utah.
Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 18.8 points and 12.3 rebounds for the Pelicans. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for New Orleans.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 5-5, averaging 110.2 points, 45.5 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.7 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.1 points per game.
Pelicans: 4-6, averaging 103.1 points, 45.9 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.8 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: None listed.
Pelicans: Daulton Hommes: day to day (leg), Zion Williamson: out (foot).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.