LOS ANGELES — Winning on the road in the NBA is not an easy task.
But the New Orleans Pelicans found a formula on Thursday night: Start quick and finish strong.
Playing on the road against a hot team that had won 8 of their last 10, the Pelicans set the tone with a 36-19 blast to open the game. Predictably, the Clippers rallied in the second and third quarters to crawl to within 10 in the final frame.
That’s when the Pelicans sealed the deal by scoring 38 points in the last 12 minutes.
Led by CJ McCollum, who finished with 25, six guys scored in double figures for New Orleans. Zion Williamson had 21 and 10 assists. Brandon Ingram had 15 and Trey Murphy added 13.
“It’s exhilirating to see our team lock in like we did. Watching the Clippers over the last coupl of months, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league so it was great to see all of our guys lock in from the start,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green told reporters.
It was a wire-to-wire finish for the Pelicans, one that required efficient shooting — 53.4 percent from the field (47-of-88) and 37.5 percent from 3 (12-of-32). They also worked the boards and won the rebounding battle, albeit barely, 38-37.
James Harden accounted for 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Kawhi Leonard pitched in 15 and 6 boards. Paul George was held to a quiet 7 points.
“It’s always difficult coming from a long road trip, but no excuses,” Harden said of their slow start.
It was the Clippers’ third game in four nights, including stops in Atlanta and Miami. And after chasing the Pelicans all night, “fatigue” held back the Clippers.
