The LA Clippers will visit New Orleans on Thursday evening to avenge two November losses to the Pels. The matchup will be the first of back-to-back road games. Continue reading for our Clippers-Pelicans preview.
Game Information
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
When: 5:00 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
LA Clippers: Amir Coffey- Reggie Jackson – Nicolas Batum – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte Graham – Brandon Ingram – Herbert Jones – Josh Hart – Jonas Valanciunas
Injury Report
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (knee), Jason Preston Out (Foot), Isaiah Hartenstein Out (Ankle), Paul George Out (Elbow), Luke Kennard Out (Protocols), Justise Winslow (Protocols)
Pelicans: Zion Williamson Out (Foot), Kira Lewis Jr. Out (Knee)
The Big Picture
After a much-needed win against the Atlanta Hawks, the Clippers fell down big to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night before a spirited comeback gave L.A. its second straight win. The back-to-back wins were the first multi-game win streak since the beginning of December. The momentum and consecutive wins could all be for naught if the Clips can’t figure out how to function against this Pelicans team they’ve lost to twice already.
While the need for a win against a struggling Pelicans team remains the same, L.A. will have to take a different approach. The Pelicans should have just about everyone available who played in their first two wins over the Clippers. At the same time, the Clippers will be without all of Paul George, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Luke Kennard — all available in Games 1 and 2. Both Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum will play after missing the last matchup between the two squads. Their presence alone and three-point shooting ability should factor heavily into the Clippers’ game plan against New Orleans, one of the league’s worst at defending the three.
The Antagonist
New Orleans is not a good basketball team, and is one of the NBA’s worst at putting up points. However, they often compete to the end of games and have a couple of players more than capable of going off for big scoring nights and leading the team to victory. The Clippers know this all too well, having struggled with the Pelicans’ youth over the years and recently falling victim to a random Jonas Valanciunas Ray Allen impression.
The Pelicans are also fresh off of a dramatic win. On Tuesday, Brandon Ingram hit a deep three with under one second left to give the Pels a 128-125 win over Minnesota. It was a breath of fresh air for NOP, having lost four of their previous five games. They’ll hope the Tuesday win can return them to their mid-December form, where they won four straight games and five of six.
Clippers vs. Pelicans Game Notes
- Evening Coffey: Amir Coffey has really flourished over the past couple of weeks and his production is something the Clippers will lean heavily on this Thursday night. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over six January games, with his impact far outweighing any game stats.
- Revenge Game: The Pelicans have been the ones getting revenge on Eric Bledsoe this season. He’s struggled in the first two games against his former team, scoring 8.5 points and 2.5 assists. Bledsoe will need to improve to resemble the version of himself that has recently looked like the clear-cut best point guard in L.A.
- A Bad Trend: The Clippers have lost four straight games to the Pelicans and haven’t won in New Orleans since January of 2020. Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams, and Motrezl Harrell combined for 95 points in the 133-130 win as Derrick Favors led the Pelicans with 22 points.
That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Pelicans. Leave your comments below!