Saturday, Jan. 18 (2:30 p.m., ABC)
Why it’s on the list
This mid-January game isn’t even the first time the Clippers play in the Smoothie King Center during the ’19-20 season, but as Twitter user @NOLA_Hornicans pointed out, it’s the New Orleans franchise’s “first ABC game since 2009.” While the Pelicans have appeared on the network a couple times this decade during the playoffs vs. Golden State, this will be NOLA’s first ABC regular season telecast since April ’09, when the then-Hornets defeated Dallas on a Sunday afternoon. This Clippers game rolled to a landslide win with 70 percent in Round 1 of fan voting over Milwaukee (15 percent), Portland (13) and San Antonio (1), but was ousted in the semifinals by the home opener vs. Dallas (58-42 percent).
Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
Due to the possibility of the New Orleans Saints needing the Superdome across Girod Street for the NFC playoffs and related logistical concerns, the Pelicans rarely have January weekend home games, but this matchup takes place the day before the NFL’s Sunday conference championships. Just past the halfway point of the 82-game docket, the Pelicans will travel to Memphis on Sunday afternoon, ahead of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee at FedEx Forum.
What’s new in LA
You may have heard that the Clippers enjoyed arguably the NBA’s best offseason of any of the 30 teams, getting California native Kawhi Leonard to sign in free agency, after Leonard led Toronto to the first NBA title in Raptors history. LA then executed a blockbuster trade for Paul George, dealing a boatload of future picks to Oklahoma City in order to add the two-way force, who placed third in MVP voting last season, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.
Matchups to watch
Leonard and George are the NBA’s premier wing duo and both ranked in the top seven of scoring leaders last season. George finished second in points per game in ’18-19, averaging 28.0 and trailing only Harden (36.1), while Leonard was seventh at 26.6. There won’t be many bigger tests for New Orleans’ defense, which hopes to be drastically improved with new personnel, after finishing just 22nd in efficiency last season (112.0 points allowed per 100 possessions, via NBA.com).
Clippers history in this countdown
The “Lob City” era provided countless highlights and made the Clippers one of the league’s better and most entertaining clubs. As a result, LA had appeared in the top 10 of Pelicans.com’s countdown for five consecutive years – and as high as third in ’14-15 – before dropping out for the first time in ’18-19. By then, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin had moved on to Houston and Detroit, respectively.
Other 2019-20 games between these teams
Thursday, Nov. 14, LA Clippers at New Orleans
Sunday, Nov. 24, New Orleans at LA Clippers
Saturday, March 14, New Orleans at LA Clippers