“Utah takes it 120-119 in their own building, fifty fouls on the board, and my average crew read held up. Zion picked up five fouls and still dropped 23, the most disciplined thing anybody in New Orleans did all night.”
MONTY, THE MORNING AFTER
HOW THE WHISTLE WENT
Fri, Oct 23, 2026 · Final
NOP @ UTA New Orleans at Utah
THE CREWJames Capers(46)chief·Leon Wood(30)·Ray Acosta(16)
NOP 119UTA 120
- Total moved down 3
WHISTLE VOLUME
48.2
fouls per 100 possessions · +2.2 vs average
1,032nd busiest of 13,612 games since 2015
OUR READ
Busier than we said
Expected 41.0 fouls per 100 for both teams; it came in at 48.1 (+7.1).
The crew’s tendency alone read average.
One game swings about 5 per 100 around any read; we print the misses as loud as the hits.
Fouls by quarter
NOP UTA
Expected vs actual
| Fouls / 100 | Free throws / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| NOP | 20.4 → 27.6 | 25.2 → 25.7 |
| UTA | 20.6 → 20.5 | 24.0 → 32.2 |
Expected before tip-off → what happened. Free throws: NOP 27, UTA 33.
Free throws: actual vs expected
Bar = free throws taken; tick = expected before tip-off.
The closer
18 Q4 fouls vs 10.0 a quarter before
Louder late
18 of the Q4 fouls came with the game within 10 points, 0 with it wider.
Foul-trouble watch: Zion Williamson (NOP)
5 fouls · 23 pts · 33 min
Key whistles
- Q4 2:38 Jaren Jackson Jr. (UTA), shooting foul: close finish
- Q4 2:15 Jaren Jackson Jr. (UTA), personal foul: close finish
- Q4 2:06 Zion Williamson (NOP), personal foul: close finish
Picked by rule (foul trouble, close finish), not graded right or wrong.
BEFORE TIP-OFF
THE CREW’S TENDENCY
PENDING
The league posts referee assignments about 9 a.m. ET on game day. The crew read lands here as soon as it does.
What this crew calls
vs league, 1.00× = average
A league-average call mix: no call type stands out.
- Offensive fouls and charges1.02×
- Shooting fouls1.00×
- Loose-ball fouls1.06×
- Take fouls1.00×
- Technical fouls0.97×
- Traveling0.94×
Per game in this crew's games since 2022-23, against league average; each official shrunk toward league until the games pile up. Every call counts for all three officials.
The free-throw battle
how busy each end should be
NOP should get to the line more: about 1.8 extra free throws.
When NOP have the ballBusy end
quietleague middlebusy
NOP draw fouls: mid-pack; get to the line: 6th most. UTA commit fouls: mid-pack; give up free throws: 4th most. Expected free throws for NOP: 26.4.
When UTA have the ballMiddle of the road
quietleague middlebusy
UTA draw fouls: mid-pack; get to the line: 9th most. NOP commit fouls: mid-pack; give up free throws: mid-pack. Expected free throws for UTA: 24.6.
League ranks this season, out of 30.
Where they stand
NOP UTA
Overall
When they defend
When they attack
League rank out of 30 this season, 1st = best for the team: most points scored, fewest allowed, fewest fouls and free throws given up, most fouls drawn and trips to the line. The right-hand number is how many places the leader is ahead.
Pace
possessions per 48 minutes
97slower · faster107
- NOP 103.9 · 9th fastest
- UTA 105.5 · 2nd fastest
- Expected tonight 104.7
- Actual 103.7 (−1.0 vs expected)
Crew’s pace lean: neutral (20th percentile of crews on the slate). Crews do nudge pace, but only by about 0.7 possessions between the fastest and slowest tenth; the teams decide almost all of it.
What to expect
vs league avg
NOP
26.4
free throws
UTA
24.6
free throws
Who’s out
NOP
Nobody listed
UTA
Nobody listed
The lines
DraftKings · open → close
| Total | 241.5 → 238.5▼ 3 |
|---|---|
| Spread | UTA -5.5 → -1.5 |
| Moneyline | NOP +170 → -108 · UTA -205 → -112 |
For information only. Prices move; check your book. 19+ (21+ in most of the US).
The crew read in detail: fouls, free throws and points vs the line
Fouls−0.1 per 100 poss not clear
Personal fouls by both teams per 100 possessions, against the league average, after allowing for the two teams.
Not clearly different from average: 80% likely between −0.8 and +0.6 per 100 poss.
n = 163 games (fewest on the crew). Each dot is one in twenty likely outcomes.
Free throws−0.5 per 100 poss not clear
Free-throw attempts by both teams per 100 possessions, against the league average.
Not clearly different from average: 80% likely between −1.4 and +0.4 per 100 poss.
n = 163 games (fewest on the crew). Each dot is one in twenty likely outcomes.
Points vs the line−0.2 points not clear
Final points minus the closing total in this crew's games. Near zero means the market already prices the crew.
Not clearly different from average: 80% likely between −1.1 and +0.6 points.
n = 163 games (fewest on the crew). Each dot is one in twenty likely outcomes.
Download the post-game card for sharing.
Counts and rates, not verdicts. One game is noise; we score the crew read by season: our track record.