Clippers at Pelicans
The Los Angeles Clippers have not lost since Blake Griffin went down with a quad injury, but they are about to get a major test at the power forward spot. The Clippers will try to push their winning streak to five games when they visit Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
Paul Pierce scored 20 points off the bench in a win over Utah in the first game that Griffin missed and spent the next two in to the starting lineup as Los Angeles went to a smaller unit to make up for the loss. Pierce set the tone with a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minute on Wednesday and the Clippers went 15-of-30 from beyond the arc in a 122-117 win at Charlotte. The Pelicans are among the worst teams in the league at defending the 3-pointer, allowing opponents to go off at 39.1 percent, but had more trouble defending the interior while the Orlando Magic scored 58 points in the paint in a 104-89 loss on Monday. Where New Orleans figures to have a sizable advantage is at the No. 4 spot, from where Davis is averaging 23.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (20-13): Center DeAndre Jordan is doing his part to make up for the loss of Griffin and recorded his third straight double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds at Charlotte. Jordan is averaging 14 points and 13 boards in the three games and matched his season-best streak with a third straight game scoring in double figures on Wednesday. The notoriously bad free-throw shooter is even 10-of-19 from the stripe in the last three games, though he did air ball a pair at Charlotte.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (10-21): New Orleans was disappointed after letting a close game slip away in the second half at Orlando on Monday, and Davis questioned the team’s effort. “You just have to play hard for yourself,” Davis told reporters. “Everybody needs to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you play hard. If you do, then you do. If not, then you have to find a way.” Davis singled himself out among those that need to play harder after he failed to record a double-double for only the third time this month with 20 points and eight boards against the Magic.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New Orleans G Eric Gordon is 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the last two home games.
2. Clippers PG Chris Paul is averaging 21 points but is 2-of-12 from 3-point range through the first four of the five-game road trip.
3. Griffin had 20 points in a 111-90 home win over New Orleans in the last meeting on Nov. 27.