-
Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) shoots while under pressure from New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
1 of 26
Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) shoots while under pressure from New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Expand
INGLEWOOD — With a handful of regular-season games remaining, playing solid basketball and staying healthy are keys for the Clippers. But locking down one of the top six spots in the Western Conference playoffs is their priority.
And to get there, the Clippers need to win, something that has come relatively easily lately. Wednesday night’s 114-98 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans at the Intuit Dome was another example of the urgency they are taking into the final stretch of games.
“We’ve been (doing that) the last 15 or so games and understanding what’s at stake,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our guys are locked in, they understand what’s at risk and we plan to get that top-six seed.”
The Clippers are approaching their last six games with one eye on the win column and the other on the standings. Wednesday’s victory did little to solidify their position in the ever-tightening conference race.
The Clippers, who have won 12 of their past 15 games, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies own identical 44-32 records with less than two weeks left. Those teams occupy the Nos. 6-8 spots in the standings, but the logjam is much tighter than that with spots 3-8 all separated by just 2½ games.
The Clippers currently sit at No. 7 because the Timberwolves own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Grizzlies are eighth.
“You don’t want to go into the Play-In games because one or two games, anything can happen,” Lue said. “So, that’s been our focus, our mindset and I’ll give our guys credit, they’ve been doing a good job with that.”
Kawhi Leonard said he doesn’t pay close attention to which teams are ahead of them but gets daily updates from his teammates.
“I do watch games, but for me it’s (beating) whoever is put in front of you,” said Leonard, who had a game-high 28 points Wednesday. “So, whoever it is, you gotta beat them to win the ultimate goal.”
Still, the Clippers can’t afford to take any opponent lightly, especially a Pelicans squad that had dominated them in recent years. The Clippers have beaten the Pelicans just three times over the past three-plus seasons.
“Every time I see Pelicans on a schedule,” center Ivica Zubac said, shaking his head. “But we got one. We got one. So, I’m sure the next one might probably going to be easier.”
Unlike previous tries, though, the Clippers led the Pelicans by 12 at halftime Wednesday and rode it to a comfortable victory in the opener of a five-game homestand.
There were a few nervous moments, though.
The Clippers, who led by as many as 15, saw their advantage dwindle to 70-64 midway through the third quarter. After a hook shot by Zubac and consecutive baskets by Norman Powell, the Clippers pushed their lead to 77-66 with 5:06 left in the period.
The score remained close until the Clippers outscored the Pelicans 7-2 to close out the third.
The Pelicans cut the margin to 91-82 early in the fourth quarter, but that’s as close as they got as the Clippers secured their fourth victory over the past nine days.
“This is a team that is gearing up for the playoffs and they’ve, over the last 10 games, been one of the best teams in the NBA on both sides of the ball, so it’s going to be a major challenge for us as we step on the floor,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said before the game.
The challenge was trying to contain Leonard, who continues to come up big after missing the first 34 games. He shot 11 for 18 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3-point range, one of six Clippers to score in double figures.
James Harden added 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and had 10 assists. Harden passed Eric Gordon for 10th place on the Clippers career list for 3-point field goals in the first quarter with his 404th.
Zubac posted his 53rd double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) and added six assists, while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 16 points.
Harden said their balanced scoring is a sign that “guys are making shots and we’re playing for each other. Anytime we get that type of productivity from numerous guys, it makes the game a lot easier for all of us. Obviously, New Orleans is shorthanded, very shorthanded, and it wasn’t about them, it’s about us.”
Said Lue: “When you’re not playing really good offense and it looks nasty out there and you’re still at 59 points at halftime, it’s the sign of a decent team. But we know we’ve got to clean up a few things and be better in that regard. But I thought overall offense, we made the right plays.”
The Pelicans, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, were without four of their top six scorers. CJ McCollum (foot) and Zion Williamson (back) have both been ruled out for the season, and Jordan Hawkins (back) and Dejounte Murray (leg) were also unavailable.
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado scored a team-high 17 points and had 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which shot just 4 for 22 from 3-point range. Brown had 16 points, while Yves Missi contributed six points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers’ victory came after an eight-day East Coast trip that saw them go 3-1. Zubac said he came into Wednesday’s game fatigued.
“I was so tired tonight. I’m glad we got to win,” he said. “… but we got to win, man. But it’s definitely tough coming back after that long road trip, that first game back.”
Originally Published:
