Game ID: 22300964
LA Clippers @ New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 20 30 32 30 112LAC 22 22 36 24 104
LAC @ NOP ScoutingLAC @ 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.
NOP availability going into 3/05 · 3 days' restOUT Daniels missed 9 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 33 min since (99% of 33)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 30 min since (91% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 25 min since (135% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/08 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 10 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 31 min since (95% of 33)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 24 min since (132% of 18)
NEW Marshall 19 to 25 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 11 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 23 min since (126% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/13 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 12 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Hawkins missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 5 min (28% of 17)
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 5 min (34% of 14)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 28 min since (85% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 22 min since (118% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/15 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 13 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 21 min since (115% of 18)
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (28% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (34% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/16 · back-to-backOUT Daniels missed 14 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (28% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (34% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/19 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 15 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/15, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (30% of 17)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 16 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 3 since 3/15, returns tonight: 6 min (42% of 14)
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (30% of 17)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 3/22 · back-to-backOUT Daniels missed 17 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (32% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (38% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/09 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 35 min since (102% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (71% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (93% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 3/01, returns tonight: 26 min (170% of 15)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 3/03, returns tonight: 18 min (178% of 10)
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (77% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (94% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 22 min since (81% of 27)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 13 min since (95% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 18 min since (178% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 10 min since (73% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 13 min since (133% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 7 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 24 min (161% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Harden missed 2 since 3/14, returns tonight: 36 min (103% of 35)
OUT Westbrook missed 8 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 25 min since (165% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 9 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 23 min since (156% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 9 min since (93% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 2 since 3/17, out tonight
OUT Westbrook missed 10 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (156% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 3 since 3/17, returns tonight: 25 min (93% of 26)
OUT Westbrook missed 11 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/15 after 2, 20 min since (131% of 15)
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 116 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 22 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (13 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Westbrook (7 straight), Tucker (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the arc, New Orleans at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 38. Call it New Orleans 117, the Clippers 109.
3/05 @ TOR 139-98 — NOP notes
NOP won 139-98. NOP shot 50% (53 of 105) to TOR's 39%, 24 of 49 from three, and got to the line 11 times to TOR's 22. The glass went 62-45 for them. Murphy III led with 34 (11 of 17, 10 of 14 from three); Jones added 17, Williamson 16. The hinge was Q1, 42-28: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 43. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +44.
3/08 @ PHI 103-95 — NOP notes
NOP won 103-95. NOP shot 44% (35 of 79) to PHI's 40%, 11 of 31 from three. Williamson led with 23 (7 of 14, 9 of 9 at the line); Marshall added 19, Ingram 17. The hinge was Q1, 36-15: from level to 21 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Marshall was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/10 @ ATL 116-103 — NOP notes
NOP won 116-103. NOP shot 57% (43 of 75) to ATL's 42%, 14 of 27 from three, and went to the line 22 times to ATL's 13 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. Murphy III led with 28 (10 of 18, 6 of 13 from three); Williamson added 27, McCollum 20. The hinge was Q1, 26-20: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Nance Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/13 vs CLE 95-116 — NOP notes
NOP lost 95-116. NOP shot 44% (35 of 80) to CLE's 51%, 4 of 22 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CLE's 3 — 21 points from the stripe to their 2. Williamson led with 33 (13 of 21, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 20, Murphy III 11. Q2 was theirs, 23-23, but the other 3 periods went 93-72 against them. Marshall's -27 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/15 vs LAC 112-104 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-104. NOP shot 48% (42 of 87) to LAC's 48%, 13 of 35 from three. Williamson led with 34 (14 of 21, 6 of 10 at the line); Murphy III added 14, Ingram 13. The hinge was Q2, 30-22: NOP came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
3/16 vs POR — 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 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 27 and Murphy III at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 114, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Ayton at 29 and Simons at 25 a game. Without Sharpe (29 straight), Walker (5 straight), Rupert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to Portland's 114 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 15 times a game to New Orleans's 11. Call it New Orleans 115, Portland 107.
3/19 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Thomas at 27 and Bridges at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 29 and Murphy III at 17 a game. Without Daniels (15 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 105 a night to Brooklyn's 114 and the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 14 times a game to New Orleans's 10. Call it New Orleans 112, Brooklyn 110, Brooklyn keeping it close.
3/21 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Banchero at 20 and F. Wagner at 16 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 104, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Williamson at 30 and McCollum at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Daniels (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Orlando 110, New Orleans 108, New Orleans keeping it close.
3/22 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 100, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; Adebayo at 20 and Butler III at 20 a game. Without Herro (13 straight), Richardson (16 straight), Love (11 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Williamson at 28 and McCollum at 17 a game. Without Daniels (17 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 100 a night to New Orleans's 108. Call it Miami 109, New Orleans 106, New Orleans keeping it close.
3/09 vs CHI 112-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 112-102. LAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to CHI's 43%, 12 of 35 from three. George led with 22 (8 of 16, 2 of 6 from three); Leonard added 19, Powell 18. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: LAC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 10. LAC trailed 46-57 at the half and won the second half 66-45. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/10 vs MIL 117-124 — LAC notes
LAC lost 117-124. LAC took 17 more shots (104 to 87), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 49%, 14 of 47 from three, and got to the line just 10 times against 23 fouls committed. The glass went 52-41 for them. Powell led with 26 (9 of 21, 3 of 14 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 18, Coffey 16. Q1 was theirs, 33-29, but the other 3 periods went 95-84 against them. Zubac's -19 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 vs MIN 100-118 — LAC notes
LAC lost 100-118. LAC shot 47% (34 of 72) to MIN's 51%, 11 of 30 from three, and went to the line 25 times to MIN's 14 — 21 points from the stripe to their 10. LAC turned it over 18 times to MIN's 9, and MIN turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 34-48 against them. George led with 22 (5 of 11, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Harden added 12, Powell 11. Q1 was theirs, 34-21, but the other 3 periods went 97-66 against them. They led by as many as 22. Mann's -20 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 @ CHI 126-111 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-111. LAC shot 60% (48 of 80) to CHI's 48%, 20 of 40 from three. George led with 28 (11 of 12, 6 of 7 from three); Leonard added 27, Powell 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-26: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/15 @ NOP 104-112 — LAC notes
LAC lost 104-112. LAC shot 48% (37 of 77) to NOP's 48%, 12 of 33 from three. George led with 26 (10 of 21, 3 of 9 from three); Leonard added 23, Powell 15. Q3 was theirs, 36-32, the deficit cut from 6 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 80-68 against them. Coffey's -14 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/17 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 19 a game. Without Harden (2 straight), Westbrook (8 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 31 and Bogdanović at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Young (10 straight), Okongwu (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 116, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/20 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Simons at 27 and Ayton at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Sharpe (31 straight), Hagans (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 21 a game. Without Westbrook (9 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Portland 111, Portland keeping it close.
3/22 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Simons at 26 and Ayton at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Sharpe (32 straight), Hagans (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Powell (2 straight), Westbrook (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to the Clippers' 13 and the glass, where Portland has been plus-0 a night and the Clippers minus-4. Call it the Clippers 111, Portland 110, Portland keeping it close.
3/24 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 28 and Leonard at 25 a game. Without Powell (3 straight), Westbrook (11 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 104, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Maxey at 25 and Oubre Jr. at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Embiid (24 straight), Melton (12 straight), Covington (38 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 40 percent from three to Philadelphia's 34 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-1 a night and Philadelphia minus-7. Call it the Clippers 113, Philadelphia 108.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
ZW Z. Williamson
LACAC A. Coffey
BH B. Hyland
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
PT P. Tucker
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 Williamson scores 34, Pelicans top Clippers 112-104 to tighten race for No. 4 seed
NEW ORLEANS -- — Zion Williamson snagged an inbound pass in the back court with just less than 4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, embarked on a sprinting end-to-end dribble and sank a driving floater just as the horn sounded.
The crowd roared wildly, and so did Williamson, who left little doubt about his intent to control the outcome of a potentially pivotal contest with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Williamson scored 34 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat Los Angeles 112-104 on Friday night, pulling within two games of the Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
“It's just getting to that part of the season,” said Williamson, who was drafted first overall in 2019 with the hope that he could carry the Pelicans through such games, but hasn't previously had a chance to do so.
“Just trying to let my teammates know, ‘I’m here. I with y'all,'” Williamson added. “Whether it's diving on the floor on defense, passing or scoring.”
New Orleans won its season series with the Clippers, 3-1. The fourth and fifth seeds meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and the Pelicans would own the regular-season, head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers if it came to that in mid-April.
Williamson was sidelined by various injuries for most of his first four NBA seasons, including the stretch runs of the previous two campaigns, when New Orleans was making a push to secure a Western Conference play-in spot.
This is the most meaningful basketball Williamson has played, and it appears to be fueling him.
"It's great to have him on the floor, playing as well as he’s playing,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said.
Green also was gratified by New Orleans' defensive play, exemplified by Herb Jones' block of Paul George 's 3-point attempt, which Jones converted into a break-away basket.
“That block was incredible. I didn’t even know he could get to it,” Green said. “It looked like he had a wide-open 3 and Herb comes out of nowhere.”
Spending most of the game as New Orleans' primary ball-handler, Williamson initiated the Pelicans' offense and ultimately took over the game, scoring time after time on explosive moves to the hoop that were both powerful and shifty.
“All three games they’ve won this year (in the series), he dominated,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "He always takes over the game down the stretch.”
Trey Murphy III scored 14 points and Brandon Ingram 13 for New Orleans, which made five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Clippers at bay.
The Pelicans also outscored the Clippers 58-36 in the paint, with Williamson being a big reason for that.
George scored 26 points and Kawhi Leonard had 23 for Los Angeles, which played without James Harden (left shoulder strain) for a second straight game. Harden has averaged 17.4 points this season.
“We did some good things to come back and make it a game but our margin for error was very slim at that point,” Lue said. “I like our fight. I like the way we competed. We just came up short.”
Norman Powell scored 15 for the Clippers, the 51st time in his 65 games played this season that he's had at least 10 points coming off the bench. But he appeared to be hurt after diving for a loose ball in the fourth quarter, throwing his shoe in disgust as he limped toward the bench.
The Clippers were as close as 100-96 after Ivica Zubac 's inside basket with 6:21 left. But the Pelicans did not allow the game to get any tighter. Williamson responded with a short hook shot, Ingram hit a 3 and Larry Nance Jr ., who had 12 points, scored two clutch baskets inside before Williamson finished it off with a driving layup.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host Atlanta on Sunday night.
Pelicans: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.