Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 114 – NOP 111
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers knew it was the type of game they’d just need to survive.
One 12:30 p.m. can get a team out of whack. Back-to-back games with the early start can decimate a team’s normal rhythm, and that looked obvious all Sunday afternoon before the Clippers (25-13) eventually put the Pelicans (11-25) away, 114-111, in overtime for their ninth straight win.
Next Game: 1/13
The Clippers had their biggest lead of the game at 12 points early in the fourth quarter, but the offense quickly went cold. The Clippers shot just 26.3 percent in the fourth quarter, scoring five points during a six-minute span in the middle of the quarter and failing to make a field goal the last six minutes of regulation.
That allowed the Pelicans to start creeping back in, and after J.J. Redick, a career 88.7 percent free-throw shooter, hit just 1-of-2 free-throws with seven seconds left and a chance to take a four-point lead, the Pelicans answered at the other end.
Jrue Holiday drew a foul on Austin Rivers on a 3-point attempt with 1.7 seconds remaining, hitting all three free-throws. On the other end, a shot attempt from DeAndre Jordan fell off the mark at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime, when the Clippers finally started to hit from deep.
The Clippers went 12-for-36 from 3-point range but came up with two big ones back-to-back from Wesley Johnson and Chris Paul to take a five-point lead in overtime. Paul finished with 25 points and 11 assists in the win.
Still, the Pelicans would have a chance. New Orleans began intentionally fouling late, and Luc Mbah a Moute hit 1-of-2 free-throws two separate times. Much like at the end of regulation, the Clippers had a chance to go up four points with seconds remaining, but Johnson hit 1-of-2 free-throws with 10 seconds left to give New Orleans a chance to tie down three points.
This time, the Clippers made the stop as Ryan Anderson’s 3-point attempt was off the mark.
The Clippers shot just 52.9 percent from the line in the win, and the uncharacteristic play started early.
The Clippers committed seven first-quarter turnovers, with uncharacteristic mistakes and a lack of their normal pace marring they play. But after a quarter, the Clippers only trailed by five points.
That put them in a position to make a quick run for the lead, and after falling behind by 11 points early in the second quarter, they proceeded to get back in gear with a 25-6 run sparked by the bench, leading by as many as nine points in a second quarter in which they scored 37 points.
The Clippers’ firm control of the game continued throughout the third quarter, but it started to slip in the fourth as shots stopped falling. This was the closest the Clippers had come to ending their win streak, but they eventually outlasted a Pelicans group playing without Anthony Davis (back).
