How To Watch New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Clippers Play-In Game on Friday Night
There is just one spot left in the Western Conference Playoffs and on Friday night, the New Orleans Pelicans will go on the road to take on the Los Angeles Clippers for the 8-seed in the conference.
In a “winner takes all” matchup, one team will continue their journey into the playoffs while the other will be sent packing earlier than they had hoped for, turning their attention to the 2022-23 season.
A lot is on the line heading into Friday night’s Play-In Game between the Pelicans and Clippers and both teams are deserving of the 8-seed in the West given how well they have played as of late.
New Orleans has been a very up-and-down team all season long, but with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum healthy, the Pelicans’ offense has been getting better each and every game. Not to mention, they have ranked ninth in the league in defensive rating since the All-Star break.
Defeating the San Antonio Spurs by 10 points in the 9-seed versus 10-seed Play-In Game, the Pelicans enter this matchup against the Clippers playing some of the best basketball they have played all year long, especially on the defensive-end of the floor.
As for Los Angeles, they suffered a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Game for the 7-seed, a game that looked to be in their control entering the fourth quarter, but the Clippers were unable to close things out on the road.
Now, in front of their home fans on Friday night, Paul George and the Clippers will look to get back to the playoffs and potentially go on another magical run to the Western Conference Finals, drawing a matchup in the first-round with the same team that beat them in that series a year ago in the Phoenix Suns.
Will Los Angeles win on their home court and advance to the playoffs or will New Orleans get back to the playoffs for the first-time since 2018?
Here's how to watch Friday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Pelicans vs. Clippers
- WHO: New Orleans Pelicans (36-46) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (42-20)
- WHAT: Western Conference Play-In Tournament: 8-seed Game
- WHEN: 10:00 p.m. ET, Friday, April 15
- WHERE: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
- TV: TNT
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Pelicans vs. Clippers
- The Pelicans and Clippers faced off four times during the regular season, New Orleans winning three of the four games played and outscoring Los Angeles by an average of 9.3 points.
- The Clippers finished the regular season ranking 11th in points allowed per game (108.4), while the Pelicans finished the regular season ranking 13th in points allowed per game (110.3).
- Los Angeles is 25-16 at home this season, compared to New Orleans being 17-24 on the road.
- Paul George has averaged 24.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and has shot 51.9% from three-point range since returning from his elbow injury on March 29.
Last Matchup:
April 3, 2022 - Clippers 119, Pelicans 100
In their final meeting of the regular season, the Clippers ran away with a 19-point victory over the Pelicans in Los Angeles. Seven different players scored in double figures for the Clippers, led by Marcus Morris Sr. with 22 points on 8-13 shooting, 4-6 from three-point range. As a team, Los Angeles shot 21-44 (47.7%) from three-point range and they scored 17 points off of 16 turnovers by the Pelicans.
Pelicans-Clippers Most Recent Games:
- Pelicans last game: Coming off their 10-point victory in their Play-In Game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans defense looks locked in. Herbert Jones has continued to play at an All-Defensive type level in his rookie season and the Pelicans did a great job of shutting down the Spurs’ top two scorers in Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson, holding them to 11-39 (28.2%) from the floor. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram combined for 59 points in this game.
- Clippers last game: Falling 109-104 on the road to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference’s 7-seed Play-In Game, the Clippers struggled to close this game out. Leading by six points entering the fourth quarter, Los Angeles was outscored 19-9 in the final six minutes of play. Minnesota outrebounded Los Angeles 49-39 and outscored them 36-24 in the paint.
Latest Injury News:
Pelicans: Zion Williamson (foot) - OUT, Kira Lewis Jr. (knee) - OUT
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard (knee) - OUT, Jason Preston (foot) - OUT, Jay Scrubb (foot) - OUT, Luke Kennard (hamstring) - QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED PELICANS STARTERS:
- G CJ McCollum, 6-3 guard: 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists
- F Herbert Jones, 6-8 forward: 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds
- F Brandon Ingram, 6-8 forward: 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists
- F/C Jaxson Hayes, 6-11 forward/center: 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds
- C Jonas Valanciunas, 6-11 center: 17.8 points, 11.4 rebounds
PROJECTED CLIPPERS STARTERS:
- G Reggie Jackson, 6-2 guard: 16.8 points, 4.8 assists
- G/F Paul George, 6-8 guard/forward: 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists
- F Marcus Morris Sr., 6-8 forward: 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds
- F Nicolas Batum, 6-8 forward: 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds
- C Ivica Zubac, 7-0 center: 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Clippers opened up as a 4.5-point favorite against the Pelicans on Wednesday night and the odds have since drifted to -4 in favor of Los Angeles.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 216 points.
What to watch for:
- The winner of this game will claim the 8-seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and draw a first-round matchup with the 1-seeded Phoenix Suns.
- Anthony Edwards has been the Timberwolves best scoring weapon as of late, averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and has shot 40% from three-point range over his last eight games.
- Los Angeles is only allowing 100.8 points per game to their opponents over their last five games.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves have not made the playoffs since 2018.
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- How To Watch Hawks At Cavaliers Play-In Game On Friday Night: The Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers will face-off with one another on Friday night in the Eastern Conference’s final Play-In Game to decide the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. CLICK HERE.
