Jazz Hand Pelicans 4th Straight Defeat, Davis Limited With Injury

The New Orleans Pelicans lost their 4th consecutive game Friday night, falling to the Utah Jazz 100-96.

Anthony Davis left Wednesday's game early with back spasms, but Friday night, he wanted to play, telling his coaches to start him. The young Pelican All-Star was effective early, but after blocking a shot, he jumped into the stands in an attempt to save a possession, tweaking his injured back. Despite that, he wanted to stay in, but his coach interceded.

“I just took him out," said New Orleans coach Monty Williams. "He wanted to play but I just said no…I’ve got to be smart. I just felt like he couldn’t do what he wanted to do."

His team couldn't do what he wanted them to do in the 3rd quarter.

“It was a bad game for us as a team collectively. We had 17 turnovers and really didn’t have much defensive effort in the 3^rd quarter," explained Williams. "Our 3^rd quarter was about as bad as we’ve seen this year.”

Utah scored 30 points in the 3rd. The most concerning thing about the points was the ease in which the Jazz tallied them.

The Pelicans made a late run in the 4th with some impressive offense, but couldn't complete a comeback.

Anthony Morrow (pictured above) continues to make a bid for a long-term deal in New Orleans. He came off the pine Friday night to give the Pelicans a surge of offense, scoring a game-high 26 points on 9 of 11 shooting. Brian Roberts added 18.

After a season-high 5 game winning streak, the Pelicans have lost 4 in a row, with Davis missing chunks of time due to injuries. With only 6 games left in the season, the Pelicans are in need of a win. Any kind of momentum they can carry into the offseason would be a plus, especially with the faulty play of late.

Next up, the Pelicans travel to Portland for a Sunday night matchup with the Trail Blazers. Tip-off is set for 8:00.