Clippers (16-5), Pelicans (7-13)
Anthony Davis left the game in the second quarter Friday due to a right shoulder injury, but he was able to recover quickly and return to the court before halftime. It still was a bit too late. In the finale of a six-game road trip, the Clippers took advantage of Davis' brief hiatus, rapidly erasing a nine-point deficit and turning it into a 60-57 edge at intermission. Los Angeles pushed its advantage up to double digits for a large chunk of the latter half, en route to a victory in the finale of a six-game road trip. New Orleans saw its five-game home winning streak come to an end. The Pelicans will travel to Oklahoma City on Saturday and face the Thunder on Sunday evening.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Clippers grabbed a series of offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, leading to open perimeter shots and back-breaking scores. When Chris Paul nailed a three-pointer with 3:20 left, it gave the visitors a 107-90 lead and prompted some fans to head to the Smoothie King Center exits.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
E'Twaun Moore was a primary reason New Orleans led 30-25 after the first quarter and played Los Angeles evenly for much of the first half, dropping in 13 points. Moore finished with 15 points behind an array of mid-range jumpers, a three-pointer, a fast-break dunk off a beautiful behind-the-back pass from Davis (21 points, six rebounds, four assists) and a couple floaters. Moore went 7/12 from the field.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Anthony Brown seems to be getting more and more comfortable as he gets deeper into his Pelicans tenure. The in-season signee from the D-League again was an active presence at both ends of the floor, registering nine points and three rebounds.
