Zion Williamson (32), Pelicans stay hot, cool off Clippers

Field Level Media|published: Sat 25th November, 01:19 2023

Nov 24, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) moves to the basket against LA Clippers forward P.J. Tucker (17) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Zion Williamson scored 32 points and Brandon Ingram added 30 as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans earned a 116-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday to finish group play of the NBA in-season tournament with a 3-1 record.

Herbert Jones scored 14 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 12 for the Pelicans, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.

New Orleans must wait for a final group-stage game between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets on Tuesday to see if they win West: Group B and advance to the knockout round of the inaugural tournament.

Paul George scored 34 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20 for the Clippers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Norman Powell also had 20 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which was eliminated from the in-season tournament with a 1-3 record in group play.

Acting as more of a facilitator, James Harden had 10 assists for the Clippers but just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. Los Angeles is 3-6 since Harden was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 1.

Jones scored eight points of a 10-0 Pelicans run approaching the midway point of the fourth quarter to give New Orleans a 103-91 advantage.

The Pelicans were up 107-94 before the Clippers made one final run, pulling within 110-106 with 54 seconds remaining after a Powell layup. But New Orleans sealed the victory when Williamson missed inside before pulling the offensive rebound away from Harden and scoring for a 112-106 lead with 34.1 seconds on the clock.

The Pelicans got off to an impressive start, taking their first double-digit lead with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter and taking a 33-12 lead with 2:14 left in the opening period.

The Clippers went to work from there, after an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range, trailing 36-23 after one quarter before inching within 56-55 at halftime. The Clippers opened their first lead at 57-56 early in the third quarter before the Pelicans were up 85-83 heading into the fourth.

—Field Level Media

Latest