Darius Garland Leads Clippers Past Pelicans to End Seven-Game Skid
Darius Garland scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139-123 on Sunday, ending a seven-game losing streak. The Clippers’ first win since their season opener came after a fourth-quarter surge helped them hold off a Pelicans team that had won four straight before dropping its last two.
Garland and the Clippers answered after a close third quarter
Los Angeles led by seven at halftime, but New Orleans opened the second half with an 18-10 run and briefly moved in front, 78-77. The Clippers responded at the start of the fourth, stringing together a 15-6 run that opened a 117-101 cushion. The margin gave them room to finish the game without another late collapse after failing to protect double-digit fourth-quarter leads in their previous two outings.
Brook Lopez added 20 points for Los Angeles. Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 26, while Zion Williamson and rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 25 apiece. The Clippers scored a season-high 139 points and shot 54.8% from the field, according to the Associated Press game report.
A defensive adjustment helped limit New Orleans inside
The Pelicans entered the game averaging 61.6 points in the paint, the league’s highest mark at that point, but finished with 52. New Orleans still shot 50.6% overall, so the result did not come from shutting down the Pelicans’ offense across the board. Los Angeles’ ability to reduce their scoring near the basket, then convert the fourth-quarter run into separation, was a key difference in the final score.
The win stopped a seven-game slide and gave the Clippers their first result since opening night. For New Orleans, it was a second consecutive loss after a four-game winning streak. Those are early-season swings rather than a settled picture of either team, but the game offered Los Angeles a timely break from a difficult run.
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Sources
Associated Press game report, carried by CBS Sports; Los Angeles Times game coverage; NBA official game record.
