10:00 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Clippers -7, Over/Under: 231.5
A pair of western contenders rounding into form clash tonight in the City of Angels, as the surging Los Angeles Clippers play host to the New Orleans Pelicans from crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. For roughly three years now we have been waiting on the Pelicans (29-21, 7th in Western Conference) to truly take flight, a perennial up-and-coming team that for a variety of reasons has struggled to become a contender in the ever-treacherous West. Ever since catching fire down the stretch of the 2021-2022 campaign and giving the top-seeded Suns everything they could handle in the first round of the postseason, this has been a team earmarked to eventually do big things. Unfortunately, injuries have consistently prevented them from reaching a higher level, as New Orleans meandered to a 42-40 finish last season, missing the playoffs altogether. Of course, the lingering theme when it comes to this franchise has been the health and fitness of (former number one overall pick) Zion Williamson, who is absolutely essential to reaching their potential. Lauded as one of the highest-rated prospects to come into the NBA in a decade, there is no doubt that Williamson (pictured below) has made an impact when he’s been on the hardwood, though the issue is that he has been relegated to more time off it. Since he was drafted in 2019, the 23-year-old has missed a whopping EIGHTY-SIX of a possible 171 games, which includes the entirety of the 2021-2022 campaign due to a lingering issue with his foot. (Head Coach) Willie Green and (General Manager) David Griffin hope that those woes are indeed behind him, for with a full offseason of conditioning under his belt, he has missed just ten of his team’s fifty games this term, which has in turn lifted the Pels to solid standing. As a group, New Orleans ranks ninth in field goal percentage offense (48.7%) and sixth in field goal percentage defense (46.4%), while doing excellent work on the glass in securing 25.5% of offensive rebounds (9th Overall) and 76.6% of potential defensive rebounds (8th Overall) and getting to the free-throw line with high frequency (.213 FT/FGA). This is a direct result of the powerful 6-6, 284-pound wrecking ball making his presence felt around the rim, as Williamson has averaged 22.1 points on 59.0% shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.0 steal per contest. Now it feels as if there is a consistent rotation in place, which has allowed his teammates to settle into their respective roles. Case in point: (fellow Duke alum) Brandon Ingram is thriving is thriving opposite Zion, logging 21.8 points on 49.5% shooting, including 37.4% from three, along with 5.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Winners of three consecutive contests, Green’s troops have caught fire on the offensive end, torching the opposition by a margin of 16.7 points on 49.8% shooting, while bullying them on the glass (+ 8.0), and dishing out a healthy 28.3 assists opposed to committing just 10.7 turnovers. It comes as no surprise that this upward turn in form has coincided with the Pelicans being the healthiest that they have been this season, with the likes of (veteran sharpshooter) C.J. McCollum and (young Swingman) Trey Murphy returning from a lengthy time on the sidelines. Will they manage to remain that way, though? That is the lingering question that will continue to loom over them until late April.
When we last saw the Pelicans, they utterly dismantled the Raptors in a 138-100 route in their brief return to the Big Easy following a 4-game road trip. The hosts jumped out to a commanding 36-19 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, shooting a blistering 51.0% from the field, including 19-of-45 from beyond the arc (42.2%), where they outscored Toronto by a whopping TWENTY-SEVEN points. Green’s outfit also hammered the visitors on the glass (51-38) on the strength of SEVENTEEN offensive rebounds, while handing out thirty-six assists in comparison to a mere seven turnovers. Needless to say, this was a highly efficient display from the Pels, who saw six different players score in double-figures led by the aforementioned Ingram, who turned in arguably the finest performance of his career. Indeed, the lithe 26-year-old was in his bag, erupting for forty-one points in less than thirty minutes of action, netting 8-of-11 three-pointers (72.7%), including a trey on five consecutive possessions at one point in a third period in which he nearly outscored his opponent by himself (20-21). Looking at this particular matchup, tonight’s trip to crypto.com marks the third time that they’ve met this season, with each team tasting victory on the other’s home floor. When they first crossed paths in Los Angeles back on November 24th, the Pelicans earned a 116-106 victory in what was part of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, highlighted by a combined sixty-two points from Williamson and Ingram on 25-of-46 shooting (54.3%), along with ten rebounds and assists. However, in their second meeting, a 95-111 defat at Smoothie King Center on January 5th, the hosts couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean, shooting just 35.9% from the field, with nobody scoring more than thirteen points, including Williamson and Ingram who were held to twelve points apiece on 3-of-9 shooting (33.3%). In taking these two affairs into account, Zion & Co can create some serious problems for the Clips in the paint with their size, length, and physicality, which would allow them to bully their smaller opponent on the glass, granting them second-chance opportunities and as we saw in the first encounter, plenty of free-throw attempts. From a betting perspective, New Orleans has been solid in posting a 28-22 record against the spread thus far, though have failed to cover four consecutive games after a straight-up victory by at least ten points, which is the case tonight. Looking ahead, this tilt begins another 4-game road trip for the Pelicans, who will remain in Southern California for a date with the Lakers on Friday, before heading to Portland and Memphis, and then closing out the first half of the season at home against the lowly Wizards prior to the All-Star Break.
Meanwhile, dare we say it, but has there been a hotter team in the Association over the past few months than the Clippers (34-15, 3rd in Western Conference)? Don’t think about it too long, folks, for the answer is unequivocally no. It really is rather remarkable how Los Angeles, who appeared to be entering the twilight of this current era, managed to reinvigorate themselves and extend their championship window with the biggest in-season blockbuster of the term thus far, adding none other than (All-Star Guard) James Harden in a 3-team trade back on November 1st. Indeed, Harden (pictured below alongside his teammates) is no stranger to blockbusters, oftentimes making more headlines on the trade market than on the hardwood; this is the THIRD instance in which the 10-time All-Star and 3-time scoring champion has been the centerpiece of a multiteam exchange in the last four years alone, going from Houston to Brooklyn in 2020, from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in 2022, and from Philly to LA three months ago. Love him or hate him, the 34-year-old has managed to get his way time and time again, while managing to inject each of his new teams with an immediate boost. After initially losing his first five appearances with his hometown club, the Clippers have won THIRTY-ONE of their last thirty-nine games, which is the best record in the NBA during that span. Over that period of time, (Head Coach) Ty Lue’s troops have developed as one of the most effective offensive teams in the league, averaging 120.2 points per game on a stellar 50.1% shooting from the field, including 40.5% from beyond the arc, with 26.9 assists in comparison to committing just 11.8 turnovers, all the while outscoring the opposition by a comfortable margin of 7.7 points per outing. Where Harden has really improved this group has been from the role of a facilitator, for this was a team that desperate to find someone who could alleviate their All-Star Swingmen, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, of their playmaking burden. These guys are two of the finest two-way wings in the NBA and relying upon them to not score for themselves but set up their teammates to boot, oftentimes led to a very stagnant attack that revolved around isolation success in the half court near exclusively. Furthermore, when you take into account the relative health issues that Leonard and George have dealt with during their time in Los Angeles, and you can see how this approach was akin to playing with fire for Lue and (General Manager) Lawrence Frank. And this is where the bearded one comes into the fray; Harden has really opened up the attack in averaging 17.3 points on 44.8% shooting from the field, including 41.8% from three, while logging 5.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and 1.2 steals, making life much easier for his teammates along the way. Granted, just as it is with their opponent tonight, there are serious questions as to if these group can stay healthy long enough to make a prolonged playoff run, but even if they manage to lose one of their big three for a stretch, they’re better built to weather the proverbial storm given that they have three stars instead of two.
When we last saw the Clippers, they earned their fourth consecutive victory, though they were made to work for this one, as they escaped the Hawks in a contentious 149-144 affair in the ATL. A nip-and-tuck contest throughout the fourth quarter, the visitors extended their lead to eight points with less than a minute to go after a pair of free-throws from Leonard, only for Atlanta to cut it five following a three-point play. Los Angeles would split their next two free-throws after being fouled to stop the clock, which would then lead to a dagger three-pointer from the hosts to cut the deficit to three. However, any attempts to steal the ball were thwarted as Harden was sent to the charity stripe, where he calmly netted both singles, with Leonard diverting the birds’ desperate attempt from distance as time expired. When it was all said and done, both teams shot well over 53.0% from the field, though Lue’s troops were hotter, drilling a ridiculous 58.4% of their attempts overall, including 21-of-35 triples (60.0%) along with 24-of-31 free-throws (77.4%). Again, the efficiency was noteworthy, as the visiting side assisted on thirty-two of their fifty-two field goals in comparison to turning it over on just seven occasions. Granted, their performance on the defensive end of the hardwood left a lot to be desired, but when they needed to get stops down the stretch, they did so. Six different players scored in double-figures, with Harden and Leonard combining for sixty-six points on 20-of-34 shooting (58.8%), including 11-of-17 from three (64.7%) and 15-of-15 from the stripe (100.0%), while logging ten rebounds, fifteen assists, and three steals. Looking at this particular matchup, these teams have split their previous two meetings, and as we stated earlier, they have each left the others home victorious. The first saw the Clippers run out of gas in the fourth quarter where they were ousted 23-31, shooting just 9-of-26 from the field (34.6%) and 2-of-11 from distance (18.2%). The hosts were bludgeoned on the glass (39-50), with the visitors receiving twelve offensive rebounds in the process. George led the way with thirty-four points in that one, while Harden struggled to find his legs with just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting (25.0%), though did log ten assists in what was only his ninth appearance with the team. Thankfully, it was a very different story when they crossed paths six weeks later, where Los Angeles cruised to a 111-95 victory. The visitors outscored the Pels 56-42 between the second and third quarters, and never lost control of the contest. Once again, Harden didn’t score much (8 points), but handed out thirteen dimes as ten other Clips got on the scoresheet. From a betting perspective, Lue & Co have been almost as good against the spread, posting a 28-21 record in that regard, including ELEVEN consecutive games as a favorite of 0.5-10.5 points, along with SIX consecutive contests as a home favorite within that same range of points. On the injury front, the team will likely be without (young Center) Ivica Zubac once again after missing ten of the last eleven games due a calf strain. The Bosnian did return briefly to log roughly eighteen minutes in their 103-95 victory in Miami on Sunday, though was withheld from action at Atlanta given that it was the second leg of a back-to-back. Given the size and physicality of the Pelicans, his frame should prove to be useful in tonight’s affair. Looking ahead, Los Angeles will play host to Minnesota and Detroit before closing out the first half of the campaign with a trip to Golden State prior to the All-Star Break.