Kennedy Chandler kept making a case for himself Tuesday night, even in a loss. The 23-year-old guard scored 31 points, set a new career high again and finished with eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals as the Utah Jazz fell to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Chandler played 43 minutes, the most he has logged since becoming an NBA player again, and shot 11 of 18 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He also turned it over three times, a small blemish on a night when he looked every bit like a player trying to force his way into a longer stay.
The performance came after Chandler was added to Utah's roster on a 10-day contract to end the season, after spending part of the 2025-2026 campaign as a G-League standout and assist leader. The Jazz have one game left and are not headed to the playoffs, but Chandler appears to have done enough to leave a strong impression before that final matchup.
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That last game comes against the Memphis Grizzlies, Chandler's team during his rookie year, and he is expected to see the court early, if not start. For Chandler, the timing matters. A 10-day deal was never supposed to be the end point, and now he has turned it into an audition for something more substantial with Utah.
