Pelicans 108, Clippers 103
Eric Gordon scored a season-high 28 points against his former team as shorthanded New Orleans knocked off visiting Los Angeles to end its six-game winning streak.
Ryan Anderson moved into the starting lineup in place of leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Davis, who missed the game with a strained abductor muscle, and scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half for the Pelicans. Alexis Ajinca added 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench, Tyreke Evans had 11 points and 12 assists and Dante Cunningham contributed eight points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against his former team. Blake Griffin added 19 points and six assists, Jamal Crawford scored 15 in a reserve role and DeAndre Jordan finished with 12 points and 15 and rebounds for Los Angeles.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 14 early in the fourth quarter, but Paul scored nine points in a 12-0 run that pulled them within one with 5:07 left. That would be as close as they’d get, as Gordon sank a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to four and made a pair of 16-footers in the final 2:10 to keep Los Angeles from gaining any ground.
Neither team led by more than four points until the Pelicans scored six straight to take a 47-41 lead with 4:24 left in the first half, but the game settled back into a tight affair before the Clippers took a one-point lead into the half. New Orleans opened the second half with 13-4 run to take a 66-58 lead and Anderson kept Los Angeles from making a move during the remainder of the third quarter by converting a three-point play and two 3-pointers to extend the lead to 88-76 entering the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Pelicans improved to 2-3 without Davis in the lineup this season. … The Clippers dropped to 8-2 on the road when leading at the half, while New Orleans improved to 5-15 overall when trailing at the half. … . Jordan, who came in shooting a league-best 73 percent from the floor, shot 6-for-7.