Pelicans at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are mired in a slump and got a close-up look at how far they need to go to become a team that challenges for the Western Conference when they were trounced by the Golden State Warriors at home on Wednesday. The Clippers got a couple days off to do some self-assessment and will return to the court by hosting the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Los Angeles dropped its last two games and five of seven and failed to meet the challenge of playing against the two-time defending conference champions on Wednesday. “Our spirit wasn’t right," point guard Chris Paul told reporters. "We gave them a lot of baskets. A team that shoots as well as they do, we can’t give them points." The Clippers had the right spirit at New Orleans on Dec. 2, when they cruised to a 114-96 win and held Pelicans star Anthony Davis in check with only 21 points and six rebounds. That marked the start of a four-game slide for New Orleans, which bottomed out with a 99-88 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. "We've got to be able to make shots," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "We've got to be able to take pressure off Anthony some kind of way, and the only way we can do that (is) we have to have guys make shots."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN New Orleans, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (7-16): Gentry, who came in before last season after serving as the lead assistant on Golden State's 2014-15 NBA championship team, fielded questions about his job status after the latest loss and suggested that he doesn't spend much time worrying about it. Gentry received plenty of credit for the Warriors' offensive prowess when he was on that staff but has not been able to mold New Orleans into anything other than the Anthony Davis Show. "Even when we won, I thought it was fool's gold," Pelicans forward Solomon Hill told ESPN.com. "We won games, but our ball movement is nonexistent. We come down, pick-and-roll and throw it to (Davis), and you just have (Davis) scoring over three people. We want to get him in position where its two at (most), or one."
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (16-7): The best player on the floor for Los Angeles on Wednesday may have been former Warrior Marreese Speights, who collected 15 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench and had some subtle suggestions for his new team after the loss. "First, we need to start really just leaving the refs alone," Speights told the Orange County Register. "Guys just got to sacrifice, do some other things than scoring, do some other things than your personal goals. Just try something new. They've been doing it here for four or five years and it hasn't been working, so it's time to try something new." Speights is averaging 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Clippers PG Raymond Felton missed Wednesday's game due to a personal matter and is questionable for Saturday.
2. New Orleans PG Jrue Holiday (toe) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.
3. Los Angeles took three of the four meetings last season, including winning both at home.