The upstart New Orleans Pelicans get set to clash against the Utah Jazz Tuesday night inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. They jump it up at 8:00pm as the Jazz look to snap a two-game slide. 

Bookmaker has installed the Pelicans 6.5 point lead. 

The Pelicans (25-18) have enjoyed a nice start to their season as we are reaching the mid-way point of the 2023 campaign. They have won four of seven overall but have not really gotten on a solid winning streak of late. They have a ton of talent and athleticism and they are a team that can surprise some people if they get into the playoffs.

But we have a half a season to discuss that. As of now, they need to clean a couple of things up and that is finding a way to close out games late. Defensively they are also giving up too many points in crucial parts of games and we saw it again the other night during a 123-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns, who ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. They allowed Devin Booker to explode for 52 points in the loss. 

On offense, the Pelicans are paced by power forward Zion Williamson, who is netting 22 points per game to go along with just under six boards and six assists per contest. He has had some nice moments this season and more importantly has been available and not injury prone like we saw early on in his career. Brandon Ingram is another offensive weapon to watch on the floor as he is netting 21 a contest. 

The Pelicans connect on 54% from the floor, including 38% from beyond the arc. 

The Jazz (22-22) are a tough team to figure out because they are one of the more talented teams in the league but they are very inconsistent at times and they have not been able to put it all together on the court. They have talent, though, they need to figure out a way to get on a run here and there. 

They just saw a brief six-game winning streak as they have dropped two in a row. The streaks have been far and few and if they have any notion of competing in the Northwest Division they need to cut into their nine-game deficit as they are looking up at the front-running Minnesota Timberwolves. 

On offense, the Jazz are paced by 26-year-old power forward Lauri Markkanen, who is netting around 24 a game on the season and close to 22 a game in his career against the Pelicans. The Jazz need to win the battle on the boards in this one if they are looking to get the win. 

The Pelicans are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 11-9 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games and 10 out of their last 22 games at home. The Jazz are 3-2 in their last five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the number. They are also 11-12 in their road games against the spread too. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and 12 out of their last 21 games at home.