Pelicans (26-43), Clippers (43-26)
No Anthony Davis. No Ryan Anderson. New Orleans also was playing without three other top-six leading scorers Sunday, but still found a way to beat the playoff-bound Clippers. The Pelicans trailed by as many as nine points in the opening half, before completely turning around the conference matchup, going up by 14. New Orleans then held on in the final seconds to post an improbable victory against a foe likely to enter the West postseason as a No. 4 seed. The quintet of high-scoring Pelicans who were DNPs combine to average 82.3 points this season.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Former New Orleans guard Austin Rivers misfired on a deep three-point attempt to try to tie the game, resulting in a Pelicans rebound. Toney Douglas went to the foul line at the other end with 1.5 seconds left and sank the second try for a 109-105 lead. Another former New Orleans guard, Chris Paul, only had time to launch an inconsequential heave from halfcourt at the buzzer.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Omer Asik played his best game of the season hands-down, considering he set a season high in scoring with 15 points, while equaling his top rebounding performance of 2015-16 with 14 boards. Asik helped turn the game in NOLA’s favor with an eight-point third quarter that was highlighted by three dunks. After trailing 56-54 at halftime, the Pelicans won the third quarter 24-16.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Tim Frazier reached double-digit scoring for the third consecutive time since joining the Pelicans as a 10-day contract signee this week. This time Frazier registered 17 points, to go with a career-high-tying seven rebounds and career-best four steals.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“It shows our competitiveness and how much heart we have.” – Jrue Holiday (22 points, 8 assists) on prevailing despite missing so many key contributors
“Coach came in and said, we’re limited on guys, but we want to go out there and compete. That’s what we did.” – Frazier on the Pelicans having just nine players available but defeating the Clippers
“I know he’s doing what’s best for him. Obviously he’s going to be here for a long time. We’re going to miss him on the court with his scoring, leadership, defense, helping out. There are times when I get beat (on defense) and he’s there to help me.” – Holiday on Davis being ruled out for the season
“He’s one of the faces of the NBA, one of the superstars of the league. No matter how the season was going or how he was playing, he always led by example, showed up to work every day, practice and games. It’s hurtful to see him down for the rest of the season, but I know he’ll come back strong.” – Toney Douglas (15 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists) on Davis being done for the season
BY THE NUMBERS
10/39: Very poor Clippers three-point shooting accuracy rate. Combined with its foul shooting (29/42), Los Angeles struggled in two key areas.
44-28: New Orleans rebounding advantage. Asik grabbed 14 boards, while Luke Babbitt had eight. Guards in unexpectedly large roles Douglas and Frazier notched seven apiece.
49.3: Pelicans shooting percentage from the field, despite being without a massive chunk of scoring production due to injuries. They had 33- and 31-point quarters Sunday.