INGLEWOOD — The Clippers cannot afford to look at other teams’ records, winning streaks or injured lists. They can’t worry about whether an opponent is tanking or trying to make a run at the postseason. Not when they have their own set of issues as the season heads into its final stretch.
With a depleted roster and a void at point guard, the Clippers lost three consecutive games and sank to four games below .500.
But they took a step forward in solving some of their concerns on Sunday night, first by getting Kawhi Leonard and John Collins back in the lineup and then notching a 137-117 victory against the surging New Orleans Pelicans at Intuit Dome.
“Coach (James) Borrego has got those guys playing with confidence, playing in the right way, and we got to be ready to play,” Coach Tyronn Lue said before the game. “It don’t matter what the team’s record is … look at our record. So, we’re not worried about what a team’s record is. We got to come out and play our style of basketball. We need to play to win.”
And after a rocky stretch in the first half, the Clippers (28-31) settled down to snap a three-game losing streak behind a balanced attack and move closer to evening their record.
Leonard, who had missed one game because of a sore left ankle, and Collins, who missed two games after suffering a head injury, were two of five players in double figures.
Leonard scored 23 points – the 37th consecutive game this season he has posted 20 or more points. It is the third-longest streak in franchise history, joining former Clippers great Bob McAdoo. He also had three rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Jordan Miller scored 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting and had a career-high seven assists, and center Brook Lopez rediscovered his 3-point shooting, connecting on 4-of-6 attempts to finish with 16 points. Collins finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Derrick Jones Jr had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
The outlook for the Clippers looks even brighter with the addition of Darius Garland, the two-time All-Star point guard who has not played since being traded to the Clippers because of toe issues. He’s now healthy and will make his debut on Monday at the Golden State Warriors, giving the Clippers something more to celebrate than Chuck the Condor’s birthday.
And they are going to need Garland’s shooting and more focus on defense if they hope to stay in the Play-In tournament. They currently are 10th in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Clippers didn’t make it easy on themselves against the Pelicans, who came in on a four-game winning streak. They led by as many as 18 in the first half but found themselves fending off the Pelicans (19-43) in the third quarter.
New Orleans cut the Clippers’ lead to one, 85-84, on a putback layup by DeAndre Jordan at the 7:01 mark of the third quarter. The Clippers regained momentum on a 7-2 run, capped by Brook Lopez’s fourth 3-pointer, and led 107-94, going into the final quarter.
The Clippers got off to a strong start, running out to a 12-point lead before Leonard scored his first basket. His 3-point play with 4:49 left in the first quarter pushed the Clippers ahead, 26-12. He followed that with a running dunk off a rebound for a 16-point lead, and the Clippers led, 41-30, after the first quarter.
The Pelicans, who had won four consecutive games, took advantage of the Clippers’ lapse in defense to get back into the game and cut the lead to single digits, 52-43, on an 8-0 run less than five minutes into the second quarter.
Behind Trey Murphy and Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans continued to chip away at the lead, pulling to within six, 76-70, as the first half ended.
Fears led the Pelicans with 28 points, Derik Queen added 19 points and five rebounds, while Dejounte Murray added 17 points and Murphy had 16.
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