Pelicans at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers look to continue their winning ways when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon. The Clippers have won three in a row and are coming off a 113-99 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday to pull within a half-game of the Portland Trail Blazers in the race for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has beaten New Orleans in four straight meetings at the Staples Center, including the last two by an average margin of 26 points.
The Pelicans are fighting for their playoff lives after dropping back-to-back games without forward Anthony Davis. The All-Star injured his left ankle in the shootaround prior to the 74-72 loss to the Phoenix Suns and missed the 112-96 setback to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, as New Orleans fell two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The Pelicans beat the Clippers 108-103 in their last meeting on Jan. 30 and hope to avoid their second three-game losing streak in five weeks.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (37-32): Norris Cole scored a team-high 16 points off the bench while Alexis Ajinca and Quincy Pondexter added 15 apiece in the loss to the Warriors. Tyreke Evans was limited to two points, was visibly slowed by an ankle injury and left the game in the third quarter while Omer Asik was inactive with a calf strain. It's not known whether he and Davis will recover in time to face the Clippers. "We are missing a lot of guys but it's no excuse," Ajinca told reporters. "We have to end this trip with a good win."
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (45-25): Chris Paul collected a game-high 30 points and 15 assists, J.J. Redick added 26 points and Blake Griffin scored 22 in the win over the Wizards. Redick went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to set the Clippers' single-season record for 3-pointers with 162 while DeAndre Jordan corralled 23 rebounds to finish with 20 or more for the 10th time this season. "D.J. is doing a great job rebounding and J.J. is hitting everything," Griffin told reporters. "When everyone is playing like that you don't want to step on anyone's toes."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won seven of the last eight meetings in Los Angeles.
2. The Pelicans have been held to 85 points or less in two of their last three games.
3. Jordan has pulled down 15 or more rebounds in 16 of his last 18 outings.