The New Orleans Pelicans have erased their 0-4 start. The concerns that accompanied haven't disappeared quite as quickly.

Wednesday's 120-113 overtime win over the Utah Jazz gave New Orleans four straight wins and a .500 record. Getting there required another comeback, major contributions from the bench, and enough free throws to overcome a familiar deficit from behind the three-point line.

The Pelicans are finding ways to win while working through their limitations. Five numbers from Wednesday's game show what has fueled the turnaround, and where their margin for error remains thin.

20 Three-Point Attempts: A Persistent Disadvantage

New Orleans made five of its 20 three-point attempts against Utah. The Jazz attempted 47, making 11.

The resulting 18-point deficit from three continued a pattern. The Pelicans have attempted and made fewer three-pointers than their opponent in every game of the winning streak.

New Orleans shot a respectable 35% across those victories, making 36 of 103 attempts. Opponents took 170 threes, making 49. That's nearly 17 additional attempts per game.

Volume remains the larger concern. Against Atlanta, the Pelicans shot 41.2% but attempted only 17 threes, with seven makes.

Attacking the basket is the strength of this roster, particularly with Zion Williamson available. Consistently surrendering that much ground on the perimeter, however, puts considerable pressure on the Pelicans to make up the difference elsewhere.

36 Missed Utah Threes: A Favorable Trend

The Jazz gave New Orleans room to recover by missing 36 three-pointers.

Utah shot 23.4%, following poor perimeter performances by Sacramento and Atlanta. Those three opponents combined to make 31 of 130 attempts, or 23.8%. Memphis was the exception, hitting 18 of 40. Even with that game included, opposing teams shot just 28.8% during the streak.

Those misses have helped. How much credit belongs to the defense requires examining the quality of the opportunities, rather than relying on the final percentages.

A constested miss and an open miss show up the same on the scoreboard. They say different things about whether the defense can sustain that success.

Beating Memphis showed the Pelicans could survive a good shooting night by their opponent. Allowing this many attempts still leaves them vulnerable when more shots begin falling.

39 Made Free Throws: Closing the Scoring Gap

The Pelicans supplied their clearest answer at the foul line.

New Orleans made 39 of 43 free throws against Utah, earning a 19-point advantage there. That covered the entire 18-point deficit from three. The Pelicans attempted at least 30 free throws in each victory during the streak, making 114 of 140 overall. Opponents made 79 of 100.

Across four games, New Orleans have been a minus-39 from behind the arc and a plus-35 at the line.

That helps explain how the Pelicans have kept winning despite their limited perimeter production. Their willingness to attack has generated scoring opportunities even when the jump shots haven't fallen. Wednesday's excellent accuracy made those chances especially valuable.

51 Bench Points: Production the Pelicans Have Needed

Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen combined for 42 points against Utah, leading a bench that outscored the Jazz's reserves 51-29.

New Orleans has won the bench scoring comparison in all four victories. Its reserves scored 41 against Sacramento, 52 against Atlanta, and 46 against Memphis before Wednesday's performance. They've scored 190 points overall, or 47.5 per game.

Bey contributed 75 of those points, while Queen finished the stretch with consecutive 20-point outings.

The advantage varies from night to night. New Orleans outscored Sacramento's bench by 33 but Memphis' by just two. Bench scoring also reflects how teams distribute minutes and offensive responsibility, so the totals alone don't establish superior depth.

The contributions themselves have been substantial. Against Utah, Bey and Queen supplied more than one-third of the Pelicans' points, giving an uneven offense the support it needed to complete the comeback.

Herb Jones' Plus-23: Value Beyond His Shot

Herb Jones scored two points on 1-for-7 shooting against Utah. New Orleans still outscored the Jazz by 23 during his minutes.

Jones finished plus-27 against Sacramento, plus-14 against Atlanta, and plus-9 against Memphis. He is plus-73 during a streak in which the Pelicans have outscored opponents by 42 points overall. New Orleans is minus-31 with him off the floor.

Teammates, opposing lineups, and game circumstances all influence plus/minus. Four games can't isolate Jones' individual contribution.

The consistency still matters. His minutes have produced a positive scoring margin in every victory, including a game in which his own shot wasn't adding value.

For a team searching for dependable combinations, that is meaningful evidence. Jones continues to give the Pelicans reasons to keep him on the floor, even when his scoring line draws little attention.