Back in January, the Clippers had enough firepower to close out a 111-106 victory. The stars came out for LA as Kawhi Leonard ended up with 28 points while Paul George was equally superb with 27. The Pelicans offered a much different story since they played without starters Zion Williamson, Eric Bledsoe, and Lonzo Ball. The star for them turned out to be the young Nickeil Alexander-Walker who erupted for 37 points and eight rebounds. The Clippers fully exploited the short-handed Pelicans, but the latter still gave a good fight in a losing effort.
As the two squads lock horns for round two, the spotlight will once again be on the stars. And for the Pelicans, they’ll be eager for revenge with a healthy lineup.
Zion will lead the fight for New Orleans with his 25.5 points per game average. The Pelicans have explored using their one-man wrecking crew as a playmaker at times and he’s been as dominant as ever. His versatility to go back and forth to play point guard and his usual power forward position has left teams scrambling on how to contain him. Because he was out the last time the Pels faced the Clippers, you can bet he’ll be raring to go come tipoff.
The Pelicans are coming off a solid 116-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the team is in high spirits.
"Those kinds of games are feel-good games for teams when everybody plays,” said New Orleans head coach Stan Van Gundy. "It's a fun night for a team when everyone gets in the game, gets to play, and gets to be a part of it."
The Clippers are also fresh off a dominant victory after they handed the Golden State Warriors a 26-point beating. Leonard and company ran roughshod against the lowly Warriors as they mounted a 104-68 advantage after three quarters.
"We've just got to keep improving,” said Leonard, who had 28 points in the lopsided victory. "We're not where we want to be."
The Clippers are currently fourth in the Western Conference with a 25-14 record and they’ll face the Pelicans who are still trying to gain momentum with a 16-22 record. You can catch the two teams go at it tomorrow at 9:00 AM on One Sports.
