Williamson, Ingram Overwhelm Clippers In Pelicans Victory
The New Orleans Pelicans (9-7) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (6-8) 116-106 on Saturday night in L.A. New Orleans continues its dominance over the Clippers. This victory marked the ninth time in eleven games the Pelicans have defeated the Clippers. New Orleans received major contributions from their two best players on Saturday.
Brandon Ingram was a man on a mission in the first quarter. The Pelicans forward scored 16 points on 7/10 shooting and got whatever he wanted on the court. New Orleans as a team played flawless offense in the opening quarter. They shot 58% percent from the field while dishing 11 assists on 14 made shots and committing zero turnovers. New Orleans held a 21-point lead at one point before the Clippers trimmed the lead to 13 at the end of the quarter. The Pels led 36-23 heading into the second.
Rookie Jordan Hawkins got it going early in the quarter. Hawkins scored 8 points in the first three minutes to maintain the Pelicans lead. Los Angeles crept back into the game after the Pelicans began to turn the ball over. After committing no turnovers in the first quarter, New Orleans turned the ball over eight times in the period, with the Clippers scoring nine points off those mishaps.
Brandon Ingram cooled off in the second quarter, scoring just three points. Clippers forward Paul George paced L.A. with 17 first-half points on 7/12 shooting. The Clippers bench outscored New Orleans 20-11 and cut the Pelicans lead to one point at the half, 56-55.
Nov 24, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) shoots the ball against LA Clippers center Daniel Thais (10) and forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The third quarter started in the Clippers' favor, with Pelicans Coach Willie Green calling a timeout just 42 seconds into the half. Los Angeles scored seven straight points to open the half and grabbed their first lead of the game. Zion Williamson then began to force his will on the game. Williamson scored 11 points in the third quarter by dominating in the interior. Williamson and Ingram both had 23 points after three quarters.
Williamson's dominance continued in the fourth quarter from the interior. However, he was not the only Pelicans' player who had a big fourth quarter. Herb Jones scored nine of his 14 points in the third quarter, helping to thwart the Clippers rally. Williamson finished with 32 points, and Ingram chipped in 30 as the Pels pulled away late.
New Orleans won the rebounding battle 48-39 and outscored the Clippers in the paint 52-48. After committing seven turnovers in the second quarter alone, the Pelicans had seven turnovers for the remainder of the game. Paul George led the Clippers with 34 points on 30 shots from the field.
The Pelicans end the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 3-1 record. In order for them to advance to the knockout round, the Pels need the Houston Rockets to lose their next game against the Mavericks. New Orleans heads to Utah to play the Jazz on Saturday night in a road trip back-to-back.
