Game ID: 22401111
New Orleans Pelicans @ LA Clippers
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 10:30 PM ET
Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 22 37 24 31 114NOP 16 31 25 26 98
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 3/26 · 2 days' restOUT Miller missed 5 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 25 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (100% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 6 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 26 min since (79% of 33)
LAC availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 7 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 3/31 · back-to-backOUT Miller missed 8 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 9 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 10 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/05 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 11 since 3/14, returns tonight: 7 min (66% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/08 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 4 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 7 min since (66% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 5 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 4 min since (37% of 11)
NOP availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Cain missed 4 since 3/15, returns tonight: 13 min (97% of 14)
BACK Missi back 3/17 after 2, 25 min since (94% of 27)
BACK Olynyk back 3/15 after 2, 27 min since (105% of 25)
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 22 min since (92% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 12 min since (56% of 22)
NOP availability going into 3/24 · back-to-backBACK Missi back 3/17 after 2, 25 min since (94% of 27)
BACK Olynyk back 3/15 after 2, 26 min since (103% of 25)
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 21 min since (90% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 12 min since (56% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/28 · 3 days' restBACK Missi back 3/17 after 2, 25 min since (95% of 27)
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 18 min since (85% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 8 min since (57% of 14)
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 2 since 3/24, not on tonight's roster
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 21 min since (90% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 20 min since (93% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 8 min since (57% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restBACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 22 min since (94% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 20 min since (92% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 6 min since (43% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restBACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 10 min since (72% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Reeves 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restNEW Reeves 15 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Kelley missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
NEW Reeves 15 to 28 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Kelley missed 3 since 4/04, returns tonight: 23 min (118% of 20)
NEW Reeves 15 to 30 min over the last 5
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 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 21 a game. They have won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Hawkins at 13 and Brown at 12 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 18 times a game to the Clippers' 12 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 106 a night to New Orleans's 115. Call it the Clippers 117, New Orleans 106, the Clippers by 11.
3/26 @ NYK 126-113 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-113. LAC shot 51% (45 of 88) to NYK's 50%, 16 of 30 from three. Harden led with 29 (8 of 16, 6 of 9 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Leonard added 27, Powell 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-22: the deficit went from 13 to 1, and the lead reached 19. LAC trailed 54-55 at the half and won the second half 72-58. Jones Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/28 @ BKN 132-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 132-100. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to BKN's 37%, 19 of 37 from three. Leonard led with 31 (10 of 14, 5 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 21, Harden 17. The hinge was Q2, 42-21: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 20, and the lead reached 41. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
3/30 @ CLE 122-127 — LAC notes
LAC lost 122-127. LAC shot 48% (45 of 93) to CLE's 51%, 16 of 41 from three. Powell led with 34 (13 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); Harden added 24, Bogdanović 16. Q4 was theirs, 34-22, the deficit cut from 17 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 105-88 against them. Harden's -17 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/31 @ ORL 96-87 — LAC notes
LAC won 96-87. LAC shot 44% (36 of 82) to ORL's 39%, 8 of 31 from three. The glass went 47-32 for them. Leonard led with 21 (8 of 22, 0 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Powell added 21, Harden 20. The hinge was Q4, 27-21: a lead of 3 became 9. LAC trailed 45-47 at the half and won the second half 51-40. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
4/02 vs NOP 114-98 — LAC notes
LAC won 114-98. LAC shot 53% (40 of 76) to NOP's 51%, 13 of 32 from three, and went to the line 26 times to NOP's 11 — 21 points from the stripe to their 8. LAC turned it over 10 times to NOP's 15. Leonard led with 28 (11 of 18, 3 of 5 from three); Harden added 21, Zubac 17. The hinge was Q1, 22-16: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Bogdanović was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/04 vs DAL — 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 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Coffey (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Williams at 16 a game. Without Exum (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-3 a night and Dallas minus-3 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 114. Call it the Clippers 116, Dallas 109.
4/05 vs DAL — 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 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Coffey (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Washington at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Exum (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-4 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to Dallas's 111. Call it the Clippers 115, Dallas 106.
4/08 vs SAS — 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 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Coffey (4 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Barnes at 18 and Vassell at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Clippers 118, San Antonio 107, the Clippers by 11.
4/09 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 99, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Coffey (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 21 free throws a game; Green at 24 and Sengun at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
3/23 @ DET 130-136 — NOP notes
NOP lost 130-136. NOP shot 58% (49 of 85) to DET's 55%, 20 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to DET's 40. NOP turned it over 17 times to DET's 6. McCollum led with 40 (16 of 28, 5 of 12 from three); Hawkins added 25, Robinson-Earl 13. Q3 was theirs, 32-25, the deficit cut from 9 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 111-98 against them. Brooks Jr.'s -15 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/24 vs PHI 112-99 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-99. NOP shot 49% (43 of 87) to PHI's 39%, 15 of 35 from three, and got to the line 13 times to PHI's 19. NOP turned it over 16 times to PHI's 11, and PHI turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 51-37 for them. Matković led with 19 (7 of 11, 3 of 4 from three); Reeves added 17, Missi 16. The hinge was Q1, 29-23: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Robinson-Earl was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/28 vs GSW 95-111 — NOP notes
NOP lost 95-111. NOP shot 41% (33 of 81) to GSW's 41%, 7 of 23 from three. NOP turned it over 15 times to GSW's 10, and GSW turned those into 10 steals. Brown led with 18 (6 of 11, 2 of 4 from three); Missi added 12, Robinson-Earl 11. Q1 was theirs, 28-21, but the other 3 periods went 90-67 against them. They led by as many as 12. Reeves's -17 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 vs CHA 98-94 — NOP notes
NOP won 98-94. NOP shot 41% (38 of 92) to CHA's 35%, 9 of 31 from three, and got to the line 17 times to CHA's 25. Brooks Jr. led with 17 (7 of 12, 1 of 4 from three); Reeves added 16, Olynyk 13. The hinge was Q3, 31-21: NOP came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 1. NOP trailed 43-52 at the half and won the second half 55-42. Matković was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/02 @ LAC 98-114 — NOP notes
NOP lost 98-114. NOP took 9 more shots (85 to 76), but shot 51% to LAC's 53%, 4 of 22 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 21 fouls committed. NOP turned it over 15 times to LAC's 10, and LAC turned those into 9 steals. Alvarado led with 17 (7 of 16, 0 of 5 from three); Brown added 16, Olynyk 12. Q3 was theirs, 25-24, the deficit cut from 12 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 90-73 against them. Cain's -16 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/04 @ 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 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Reaves at 26 and Dončić at 25 a game. Without Morris (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Hawkins at 14 and Brown at 12 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to the Lakers' 11. Call it the Lakers 116, New Orleans 111.
4/06 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Alvarado at 15 and Matković at 13 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 122, shooting 56 percent and 43 from three, 27 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 34 and Kuzma at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Lillard (9 straight), Portis (24 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Milwaukee minus-6 and the arc, Milwaukee at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 34. Call it New Orleans 115, Milwaukee 114, Milwaukee keeping it close.
4/08 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 116, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; K. Johnson at 15 and Wilson at 13 a game. Without Wilson (2 straight), Clowney (3 straight), Martin (2 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Alvarado at 16 and Reeves at 13 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Kelley (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-3. Call it Brooklyn 111, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
4/10 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 33 and Lopez at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Lillard (11 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Alvarado at 18 and Reeves at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Kelley (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 42 percent from three to New Orleans's 33 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 15 times a game to Milwaukee's 11. Call it Milwaukee 118, New Orleans 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPAR A. Reeves
BB B. Brown
EP E. Payton
JA J. Alvarado
JC J. Cain
JR J. Robinson-Earl
KB K. Brooks Jr.
KM K. Matković
KO K. Olynyk
LQ L. Quinones
YM Y. Missi
LACBB B. Bogdanović
BS B. Simmons
CC C. Christie
DE D. Eubanks
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KB K. Brown
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
PB P. Baldwin Jr.
TF T. Flowers
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
Leonard scores 28 points to lead the Clippers past the Pelicans 114-98
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and James Harden had 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 114-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who won for the fourth time in five games and 12th in 15 games. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points.
Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, who are 3-7 in their last 10. Bruce Bowen added 16 points and Yves Missi grabbed 12 rebounds.
Los Angeles led 59-47 at halftime, paced by Leonard's 18 points.
The Clippers outscored the Pelicans by four points over the final two quarters, with Bogdanovic scoring a team-high 12 second-half points.
Takeaways Pelicans: New Orleans shut down forward Zion Williamson (back) and guard CJ McCollum (right foot) for the season on Monday and the Pelicans continue to struggle down the stretch.
Clippers: Los Angeles stayed hot at home coming off a 3-1 road trip during which the Clippers' only loss came to Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland.
Key moment The Clippers took the lead at 12-10 on a layup by Harden with 4:49 remaining in the first quarter and never trailed again.
Key stat The Clippers outscored the Pelicans by 27 points on 3-pointers, making 13 compared to just four for the Pelicans. New Orleans shot 4 for 22 from 3-point range.
Up next Pelicans: Stay in Southern California to play the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Clippers: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .