Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Prediction for Wednesday November 4 2026

Utah heads to New Orleans on Wednesday night for an 8 PM ET game against the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. The Jazz are 1-6 and have been having a miserable time keeping opponents from scoring. New Orleans is 2-4, but the Pelicans have won their last two games, including a wild overtime finish against Memphis on Monday. Neither team has exactly been a model of consistency, but New Orleans is starting to look a little better. At the time of this writing, the betting odds were not released. Check out our free NBA picks for more predictions.

Utah Jazz Can’t Keep Giving Up Easy Points

Utah got knocked around by San Antonio on Monday, losing 119-97. That came after a 112-90 loss to Portland on Saturday. Two games, 187 points scored, and two defeats by more than 20. You don’t have to dig very deep into the numbers to figure out why the Jazz are struggling.

The offense hasn’t been doing enough, and the defense isn’t making up for it. Utah has been near the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency, and its defense hasn’t been much better. That’s a pretty rough combination when you’re going on the road against a team that just scored 135 points. The Jazz need to find some way to make New Orleans work harder for its baskets.

Utah also has injury problems to deal with. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic were listed out in the early report, which takes away size and defensive help around the basket. That’s not good news against New Orleans. The Jazz have to keep the Pelicans from getting comfortable inside, and doing that without some of their frontcourt pieces is going to be difficult.

New Orleans Pelicans Are Finally Finding Some Offense

New Orleans beat Memphis 135-134 in overtime Monday, and that was a pretty entertaining way to pick up a win. The Pelicans also beat Atlanta 121-99 on Saturday. That’s 256 points over two games, with the overtime period helping Monday’s total. Either way, New Orleans has been getting much better offensive production lately.

What I like about the Pelicans here is that they’re facing a Utah team that hasn’t shown much ability to slow anybody down. New Orleans doesn’t need to do anything fancy. Get into the paint, make the Jazz defend, and don’t settle for difficult shots when easier ones are available. Utah has been struggling on both ends, and the Pelicans should have plenty of opportunities.

The defense still needs work, though. Giving up 134 to Memphis isn’t something to celebrate, even when you win. New Orleans has also been dealing with injuries, including Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole on the early availability report. That’s worth watching. But Utah hasn’t been playing well enough for me to put much faith in the Jazz taking advantage of those problems.

Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Prediction

Moneyline Pick: New Orleans Pelicans

I’m taking New Orleans. Look, the Pelicans aren’t exactly a team I’d trust against everybody, but Utah has been getting beaten pretty badly. The Jazz lost their last two games by 22 points each, and now they’re facing a New Orleans team that’s scored 121 and 135 in its last two outings. That’s a rough matchup. The Pelicans have the home floor, they’ve got a little momentum, and Utah hasn’t shown much ability to get stops. I think New Orleans wins this one without needing another overtime thriller.

Total Pick: Over — Pending Posted Line

I like the over if the sportsbooks don’t get carried away with the number. Utah has been struggling defensively, and New Orleans has scored 256 points over its last two games. The Pelicans have also been giving up plenty of points themselves, so the Jazz should have some chances to contribute. The problem is Utah’s offense. Scoring 90 and 97 in consecutive games isn’t exactly encouraging. Still, I think this is a better matchup for the Jazz to find some baskets, and New Orleans should do its share of the scoring. I’d lean over at a reasonable number, but I’m not making it official without seeing the line.

Final Picks: New Orleans Pelicans Moneyline | Over (conditional lean)