Darius Garland ran it. Against Miami he had 26 points and 7 assists but also 6 of the turnovers. On Sunday he had 24 points and 10 assists, and the Clippers' turnover total was barely half their usual. LA was without Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal and Isaiah Jackson, and it still put up 139 because the guy running the offense stopped losing the ball.
The preview called LA a team that can shoot, 5th in the league from 3 at 38.2 percent, and the Clippers beat that number. They made 16 of 38, 42 percent, against New Orleans' 10 of 29. That 18-point gap from deep is more than the final margin. The Pelicans shot 51 percent and made 31 of 35 free throws, which is good enough to win most nights. This one they lost because of the threes and the turnovers.
The game was even after 1 quarter at 28-28. The Clippers took over in the 2nd, winning it 39-32 for a 67-60 halftime lead. The 3rd quarter went 35-35, so New Orleans went into the 4th down 7, close enough to make a run. The Pelicans didn't get one. LA scored 37 in the 4th to their 28, and a 7-point game finished at 16. The Clippers had blown late leads at home against Toronto and Miami, and this time they held on and pulled away.
For New Orleans this looked like the Minnesota loss again. Against the Wolves the Pelicans were up 2 after 3 quarters and lost the 4th 38-30. Against the Clippers they were down 7 after 3 and lost the 4th 37-28. That's 2 straight games decided in the 4th quarter, and 2 straight 4th quarters where the defense gave up 37 or more. The 123 points fit the 120-plus scoring during the win streak, but the fast pace never produced the run-outs the preview expected because the Clippers kept the ball. The box score search didn't show individual lines for Zion Williamson or Karlo Matkovic, so the Pelicans' frontcourt advantage against a Clippers team thin behind Brook Lopez can only be judged by the result: 35 rebounds to LA's 36, which is no advantage.
The 7-game skid is over and LA is 2-7. The Clippers still haven't had Ingram or Beal, so the fix for now is simple: keep the ball, and Garland, the shooters and Lopez can win games. New Orleans drops to 4-6 after losing 2 straight to finish a stretch that started with 4 straight wins. Yves Missi is still out, and the Pelicans have given up 37 or more in 2 straight 4th quarters.
Clippers123-139
One game doesn't fix a season-long turnover problem. Still, the Clippers' 11 turnovers are the number to watch in their next game. If LA can keep giveaways near that level, this is a different team from the one that started 1-7.
