Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey lead another hard-earned victory as the Pelicans climb back to .500 and turn a disastrous start into a four-game winning streak.

4 straight wins 🔥#Pelicans | @HancockWhitney pic.twitter.com/OYUyjvpKra

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 5, 2026

NEW ORLEANS — Something is changing inside the Smoothie King Center, and the New Orleans Pelicans are beginning to give their fans a reason to believe again.

The Pelicans defeated the Utah Jazz 120–113 in overtime Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to four games and improving to 4–4 after opening the season with four consecutive losses.

Zion Williamson delivered 23 points, while Saddiq Bey provided 22 off the bench. Together, they helped New Orleans survive another tense finish and claim a victory that carried significance beyond the final score.

For a team that spent the opening stretch of the season searching for answers, four straight victories represent more than a statistical turnaround. They suggest a group learning how to compete through adversity, trust its depth and find ways to win when the game becomes uncomfortable.

But the Pelicans shouldn’t confuse progress with arrival. Wednesday’s victory required overtime against a struggling Utah team. The winning streak is real, and so are the areas that still need work.

A Four-Game Winning Streak That Changes the Conversation

Just days ago, the conversation surrounding New Orleans centered on disappointing finishes, questionable rotations and the inability to turn competitive performances into victories.

Now the Pelicans are back at .500.

That turnaround matters because losing can become contagious in the NBA, particularly for a team attempting to establish a new identity under head coach Jamahl Mosley.

Instead of allowing their early struggles to define the season, the Pelicans have responded with consecutive victories and increasingly meaningful contributions throughout the roster.

Monday’s 135–134 overtime victory over previously unbeaten Memphis provided perhaps the strongest indication that this group was beginning to develop genuine confidence.

Wednesday offered another test.

Utah entered the matchup struggling to find consistency, but the Jazz had already beaten New Orleans 120–119 earlier in the season. The Pelicans had an opportunity to settle that score, protect their home court and prove that their recent improvement could survive the pressure of expectations.

They accomplished all three.

Zion Williamson Continues to Set the Tone

For all the attention surrounding New Orleans’ supporting cast, Zion Williamson remains central to the Pelicans’ offensive identity.

Williamson finished with 23 points against Utah, following his 25-point performance against Memphis.

The importance of Zion’s production extends beyond his scoring average.

When he attacks decisively, New Orleans becomes a more dangerous offensive team. His ability to put pressure on interior defenders can create opportunities for cutters, perimeter shooters and secondary scorers.

The larger challenge is turning those advantages into a dependable offensive structure.

New Orleans cannot afford to become predictable by asking Williamson to manufacture every important basket. The offense must continue developing counters, movement and multiple reliable scoring options.

That is where the emergence of Saddiq Bey becomes particularly important.

Saddiq Bey Is Giving the Pelicans Something They Desperately Need

Bey’s 22-point performance off the bench reinforced his growing value to New Orleans.

Every competitive team needs players capable of changing the direction of a game without requiring the offense to revolve around them.

Bey offers another scoring option, helping reduce the burden on Williamson and providing Mosley with greater flexibility when constructing lineups.

His production also raises an important question about the Pelicans’ long-term rotation.

Should Bey continue serving as a scoring weapon off the bench, or could his offensive contributions eventually justify a larger starting role?

There is no need to rush that decision while the team is winning. However, Mosley must continue identifying combinations that balance offensive creation, defensive responsibility and rebounding.

The Pelicans are discovering that their depth can be a strength rather than simply a collection of names on the roster.

Overtime Victory Shows Growth — But Also Exposes Work Ahead

The Pelicans and Jazz were tied 104–104 at the end of regulation.

New Orleans then outscored Utah 16–9 in overtime to secure the seven-point victory.

That extra period deserves attention.

The Pelicans have already experienced painful late-game failures this season. Those defeats raised legitimate concerns about decision-making, defensive discipline and the ability to execute when possessions become more valuable.

Winning close games can help build confidence, but the coaching staff should be equally concerned with understanding why these games keep reaching desperate moments.

Against Utah, New Orleans entered halftime leading 42–37 before surrendering 43 points in the third quarter.

That kind of defensive collapse can erase an entire half of disciplined work.

The Pelicans recovered with 34 fourth-quarter points and then controlled overtime. Their resilience deserves credit, but a team hoping to become a legitimate Western Conference contender must learn to protect advantages without repeatedly requiring dramatic rescues.

Great teams do not simply know how to survive. They know how to finish.

Jamahl Mosley’s Biggest Challenge Is Turning Momentum Into Consistency

Mosley deserves recognition for guiding the Pelicans through their early-season struggles without allowing the team to unravel.

However, four victories cannot become an excuse to ignore the weaknesses exposed during the opening eight games.

The coaching staff must continue demanding defensive consistency, smarter late-game possessions and dependable production from the supporting cast.

New Orleans also needs to establish which lineup combinations give the team its best chance to win.

The emergence of young contributors and the production of established veterans have created intriguing possibilities, but finding the right balance remains essential.

The goal should not be to discover a different hero every night out of necessity.

It should be to develop a system that consistently puts multiple players in position to succeed.

That distinction could determine whether the Pelicans’ current winning streak becomes the foundation of something meaningful or merely a brief interruption in an inconsistent season.

The Next Test: Minnesota Comes to New Orleans

The Pelicans return to action Friday, November 6, when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Smoothie King Center.

That matchup presents another opportunity to evaluate how far New Orleans has progressed.

The Pelicans have already demonstrated they can survive close games, receive meaningful bench contributions and respond to adversity.

Now they must prove they can sustain those improvements against increasingly demanding competition.

A fifth consecutive victory would strengthen the argument that this team is beginning to establish a legitimate identity.

But even if the winning streak eventually ends, the larger objective must remain unchanged: building habits that translate into consistent basketball throughout an 82-game season.

Final Thoughts: The Pelicans Are Finally Giving New Orleans Something to Believe In

Four straight wins.

A return to .500.

Another overtime victory.

And perhaps most importantly, a team that is beginning to look more connected than the one that stumbled through the opening days of the season.

The New Orleans Pelicans have not solved every problem. Their defense still needs greater consistency, their rotations require continued evaluation, and their ability to close games without unnecessary drama remains a work in progress.

But winning changes the atmosphere around a basketball team.

It builds trust. It creates confidence. It gives players evidence that the work they are putting in can produce results.

For New Orleans, the next challenge is making sure this isn’t simply a winning streak.

It’s the beginning of a winning standard.

Four straight is impressive. What the Pelicans do next will tell us how much it really means.

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