New Orleans brings the more productive recent attack into Sunday’s game, but the Clippers offer an awkward test of that advantage. Our grades put the Pelicans’ offense and the Clippers’ defense at B, while the other end matches an F-grade Clippers offense against a D+ New Orleans defense. That’s the tension beneath two teams coming off late disappointments: can the Pelicans make their scoring travel, or can Los Angeles find enough offense against a defense that has left openings?
New Orleans has a run worth building on
The Pelicans’ four-game winning streak ended with a 115-109 loss to Minnesota. AP reported that New Orleans led 89-87 with 7:55 remaining before the Timberwolves answered with a 10-2 run. Jeremiah Fears scored 24 points, while Zion Williamson finished with a season-low 13.
Before that loss, New Orleans had scored 132, 121, 135 and 120 in four straight wins. Those games weren’t all the same kind of success. The Pelicans beat Atlanta 121-99, but needed 135 points to get past Memphis by one. The scoring has given them a way to win both controlled games and exchanges that their defense couldn’t contain.
The Minnesota loss brings that balance back into focus. The Pelicans don’t have to abandon an attack that had been producing, but they need a reliable answer when an opponent takes away a late lead. One empty stretch can undo a lot of good offense.
More scoring, but still no finish for the Clippers
Los Angeles has lost seven straight since its opening win. The latest was a 117-116 overtime loss to Miami, after the Clippers had led by 20 late in the second quarter. AP reported that Darius Garland scored 26 points with seven assists and Rui Hachimura added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Klay Thompson’s late three decided it for Miami.
The result was painful, but Los Angeles has scored 112, 118 and 116 in its last three games, following a much rougher 87-point night against the Lakers earlier in the stretch. That improvement gives Los Angeles something to build on against the Pelicans’ weaker defense. The Miami loss also shows why more scoring hasn’t yet been enough to end the skid.
The Clippers will be without Brandon Ingram and Isaiah Jackson. Ingram is out with an Achilles issue, and Jackson is out with a groin injury.
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A small spread leaves room for both stories
DraftKings lists New Orleans as a 1.5-point favorite, with a total of 226.5. The Pelicans are 4-5 outright and 6-3 against the spread this season. The Clippers are 1-7 outright and 4-4 against the spread. At that narrow line, the recent scoring and contrasting grades deserve more attention than either losing record alone.
New Orleans’ case begins with sustaining its recent scoring against the Clippers’ stronger defensive assessment. Los Angeles’ route is to turn its latest offensive improvement into a full-game response against the Pelicans’ weaker defense, then finish more securely than it did against Miami.
The total needs both halves of that matchup. Six of New Orleans’ nine games have gone over, while the Clippers’ eight games split evenly between overs and unders, with no pushes. The Pelicans’ 135-134 win at Memphis and 121-99 win over Atlanta illustrate how differently their games can develop. Both wins featured productive Pelicans offense, but the opponents’ scoring made for very different totals. Here, the Clippers’ ability to keep their own scoring going matters alongside whether their better defensive grade translates into resistance against New Orleans.
The key is which team can make its better stretches survive the next response.
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