Game ID: 22300731
New Orleans Pelicans @ LA Clippers
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 19 28 22 37 106NOP 36 19 24 38 117
LAC vs NOP ScoutingLAC vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 7 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 29 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (43% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 4 min since (41% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 8 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 30 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 10 min since (98% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 9 since 1/14, returns tonight: 18 min (68% of 27)
OUT Tucker missed 31 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 8 min since (84% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/05 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 32 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 18 min since (68% of 27)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 33 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 2/02, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 2/04, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 10)
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 18 min since (68% of 27)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/10 · 2 days' restOUT Tucker missed 34 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (74% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 35 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 5 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (74% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 20 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 36 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 6 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (76% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (42% of 10)
LAC availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Tucker missed 37 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 7 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 6 min since (57% of 10)
NOP availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 33 since 11/20, out tonight
NOP availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 34 since 11/20, out tonight
NOP availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 35 since 11/20, out tonight
NOP availability going into 2/05 · 2 days' restOUT Jones missed 2 since 1/31, returns tonight: 22 min (73% of 31)
OUT Ryan missed 36 since 11/20, out tonight
NOP availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 37 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Jones back 2/05 after 2, 22 min since (73% of 31)
NOP availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 38 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Jones back 2/05 after 2, 26 min since (86% of 31)
NOP availability going into 2/10 · back-to-backOUT Marshall missed 2 since 2/07, returns tonight: 18 min (92% of 19)
OUT Ryan missed 39 since 11/20, returns tonight: 5 min (36% of 14)
BACK Jones back 2/05 after 2, 27 min since (88% of 31)
NOP availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restBACK Jones back 2/05 after 2, 30 min since (97% of 31)
BACK Marshall back 2/10 after 2, 18 min since (92% of 19)
BACK Ryan back 2/10 after 39, 5 min since (36% of 14)
NOP availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 2 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Jones back 2/05 after 2, 31 min since (100% of 31)
BACK Marshall back 2/10 after 2, 15 min since (80% of 19)
BACK Ryan back 2/10 after 39, 5 min since (36% of 14)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and Harden at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Tucker (33 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ingram at 28 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 44 percent from three to New Orleans's 34 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and the Clippers minus-1. Call it the Clippers 119, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/31 @ WAS 125-109 — LAC notes
LAC won 125-109. LAC shot 47% (47 of 100) to WAS's 46%, 12 of 30 from three, and went to the line 22 times to WAS's 15 — 19 points from the stripe to their 10. LAC turned it over 8 times to WAS's 13. Leonard led with 31 (14 of 25, 1 of 4 from three); Harden added 25, Coffey 17. The hinge was Q3, 40-19: a lead of 6 became 27. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/02 @ DET 136-125 — LAC notes
LAC won 136-125. LAC shot 60% (53 of 89) to DET's 51%, 14 of 29 from three. LAC turned it over 9 times to DET's 16. Leonard led with 33 (12 of 17, 6 of 8 from three); Westbrook added 23, George 18. The hinge was Q2, 38-26: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 20. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/04 @ MIA 103-95 — LAC notes
LAC won 103-95. LAC shot 44% (34 of 77) to MIA's 42%, 16 of 39 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIA's 12 — 19 points from the stripe to their 11. LAC turned it over 15 times to MIA's 10, and MIA turned those into 9 steals. Leonard led with 25 (8 of 16, 3 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Harden added 21, Powell 16. The hinge was Q4, 34-28: a lead of 2 became 8. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
2/05 @ ATL 149-144 — LAC notes
LAC won 149-144. LAC shot 58% (52 of 89) to ATL's 54%, 21 of 35 from three. Leonard led with 36 (13 of 20, 5 of 8 from three); Harden added 30, George 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-28: from level to 9 ahead. George was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
2/07 vs NOP 106-117 — LAC notes
LAC lost 106-117. LAC shot 46% (36 of 78) to NOP's 53%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 26 times to NOP's 16 — 22 points from the stripe to their 11. LAC turned it over 19 times to NOP's 12, and NOP turned those into 13 steals. Harden led with 19 (6 of 11, 5 of 6 from three); Powell added 18, Leonard 15. Q2 was theirs, 28-19, the deficit cut from 17 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 98-78 against them. Plumlee's -16 in 15 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 28 and Harden at 20 a game. Without Tucker (34 straight). 2 days' rest. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ivey at 25 and Cunningham at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Stewart (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to the Clippers' 12 and the glass, where Detroit has been plus-5 a night and the Clippers plus-1. Call it the Clippers 123, Detroit 115.
2/12 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and George at 18 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Tucker (35 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 104, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Towns at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 3 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-6 a night and the Clippers minus-5 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 104 a night to the Clippers' 117. Call it the Clippers 115, Minnesota 114, Minnesota keeping it close.
2/14 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 17 free throws a game; Curry at 27 and Kuminga at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 14 a night. Without Paul (16 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 20 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Tucker (36 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-14 a night and the Clippers minus-6 and the line, where the Clippers take 26 free throws a game to Golden State's 17. Call it Golden State 119, the Clippers 112.
2/22 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 125, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. 8 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Leonard at 23 and Harden at 21 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Tucker (37 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 29 free throws a game to OKC's 20 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-6 a night and OKC minus-11. Call it OKC 121, the Clippers 118, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/29 @ BOS 112-118 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-118. NOP shot 51% (46 of 91) to BOS's 51%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 13 times to BOS's 20. Ingram led with 28 (12 of 24, 2 of 8 from three); Williamson added 26, McCollum 16. Q1 was theirs, 36-25, but the other 3 periods went 93-76 against them. They led by as many as 17. Nance Jr.'s -12 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/31 @ HOU 110-99 — NOP notes
NOP won 110-99. NOP shot 50% (41 of 82) to HOU's 40%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 24 times to HOU's 17 — 17 points from the stripe to their 16. NOP turned it over 16 times to HOU's 5, and HOU turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 56-29 for them. Valančiūnas led with 25 (10 of 15, 5 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 24, McCollum 19. The hinge was Q1, 33-25: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Hawkins was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/02 @ SAS 114-113 — NOP notes
NOP won 114-113. NOP shot 48% (46 of 95) to SAS's 48%, 7 of 26 from three. NOP turned it over 9 times to SAS's 18. The glass went 39-55 against them. Williamson led with 33 (12 of 21, 9 of 13 at the line); McCollum added 21, Ingram 19. The hinge was Q3, 30-23: NOP came in trailing by 7 and left it level. NOP trailed 58-65 at the half and won the second half 56-48. Daniels was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
2/05 vs TOR 138-100 — NOP notes
NOP won 138-100. NOP shot 51% (53 of 104) to TOR's 48%, 19 of 45 from three. NOP turned it over 7 times to TOR's 18. The glass went 51-38 for them. Ingram led with 41 (16 of 21, 8 of 11 from three); McCollum added 20, Williamson 16. The hinge was Q1, 36-19: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 45. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +37.
2/07 @ LAC 117-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 117-106. NOP shot 53% (47 of 88) to LAC's 46%, 12 of 32 from three, and got to the line 16 times to LAC's 26. NOP turned it over 12 times to LAC's 19. McCollum led with 25 (10 of 17, 5 of 11 from three); Williamson added 21, Ingram 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-19: from level to 17 ahead. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/09 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 24 and Davis at 23 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Reddish (8 straight), Vanderbilt (3 straight), Vincent (25 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 107, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Ingram at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 107 a night to the Lakers' 116. Call it New Orleans 117, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/10 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Grant at 31 and Simons at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Sharpe (14 straight), Brogdon (2 straight), Rupert (4 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and Ingram at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Marshall (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-7 a night and Portland minus-3. Call it New Orleans 116, Portland 114, Portland keeping it close.
2/12 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 28 and Jackson at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Bane (15 straight), LaRavia (14 straight), Williams (7 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and Ingram at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-0 a night and Memphis minus-9 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 108 a night to Memphis's 122. Call it New Orleans 116, Memphis 109.
2/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Ingram at 22 and Williamson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Daniels (2 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to Washington's 124 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Washington minus-6. Call it New Orleans 120, Washington 110, New Orleans by 10.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KB K. Brown
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
NOP/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Zion, McCollum lead big 4th quarter in the Pelicans' 117-106 win, slowing the Clippers' recent surge
LOS ANGELES -- — CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Zion Williamson added 21 points and 10 assists, and the New Orleans Pelicans slowed the Los Angeles Clippers' recent roll with a 117-106 victory Wednesday night.
Brandon Ingram had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Pelicans, who opened a four-game road trip with their fourth consecutive victory to match their longest winning streak of the season. Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III added 13 points apiece in a wire-to-wire win over a weary opponent.
“It’s exhilarating to see our team lock in like we did,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Watching the Clippers over the last couple of months, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league, so it was great to see all of our guys lock in from the start. Just a wire-to-wire, high-discipline game.”
James Harden scored 19 points and Norman Powell had 18 for the Clippers, whose four-game winning streak ended in their first game back from an impressive 6-1 road trip during which they moved to the top of the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles was playing its eighth game in 13 days, and New Orleans capitalized.
Kawhi Leonard scored 15 points and Paul George finished with seven after missing his first nine shots as Los Angeles lost for only the sixth time in 32 games since the start of December.
“It’s always difficult coming from a long road trip, but no excuses,” Harden said. “We had plenty of opportunities to win the game. Fatigue a little bit played a part in it. Three games in four nights, coming from Miami, Atlanta, so it is what it is. Now we get some rest and can finish the next few games strong.”
Playing through a bone bruise in his left foot, Williamson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished one shy of his career high in assists, taking over down the stretch with a series of unstoppable drives to the hoop. McCollum’s fifth 3-pointer with 5:15 to play stretched the Pels’ lead to 105-89.
“We had great game plan and discipline tonight,” McCollum said. “When everybody gets touches, especially when the big fella gets touches and is able to figure out when to pass and when to score, it makes the game easier for everybody else. I just did my job.”
Jonas Valanciunas scored eight points for New Orleans before leaving in the second quarter with a bruised right calf.
A brutal schedule forced the Clippers to play at home one day after they returned from the franchise's final Grammys trip. The Clippers will move out of the downtown arena that hosts the music awards next season and into their new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
The Clippers' weariness was obvious in the first quarter while New Orleans rolled to a 17-point lead. George went 0 for 9 in the first half, but hit his first jump shot after halftime.
“Their adjustments were pretty good,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Willie did a good job putting Herb on James and putting Zion on Kawhi, and it worked tonight, and they played well, so give them credit.”
Harden passed Maurice Cheeks (7,392) for 15th place on the NBA’s career assists list during the second quarter.
Jones went to the locker room midway through the first quarter after he ran face-first into Leonard's shoulder while chasing a pass. Jones returned in the second quarter, but Valanciunas went to the locker room a few minutes later after colliding with Ingram.
Naji Marshall sat out with a back injury for New Orleans.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac returned from a one-game absence with a calf strain.