National Basketball Association
New Orleans 116, L.A. Clippers 106
When: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, November 24, 2023
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #52 Scott Twardoski, #48 Scott Foster, #65 Nate Green
Attendance: 19370

Zion Williamson scored 32 points and Brandon Ingram added 30 as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans earned a 116-106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday to finish group play of the NBA in-season tournament with a 3-1 record.

Herbert Jones scored 14 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 12 for the Pelicans, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.

New Orleans must wait for a final group-stage game between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets on Tuesday to see if they win the West Group B and advance to the knockout round of the inaugural tournament.

Paul George scored 34 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20 for the Clippers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Norman Powell also had 20 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which was eliminated from the in-season tournament with a 1-3 record in group play.

Acting as more of a facilitator, James Harden had 10 assists for the Clippers but just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. Los Angeles is 3-6 since Harden was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 1.

Jones scored eight points of a 10-0 Pelicans run approaching the midway point of the fourth quarter to give New Orleans a 103-91 advantage.

The Pelicans were up 107-94 before the Clippers made one final run, pulling within 110-106 with 54 seconds remaining after a Powell layup. But New Orleans sealed the victory when Williamson missed inside before pulling the offensive rebound away from Harden and scoring for a 112-106 lead with 34.1 seconds on the clock.

The Pelicans got off to an impressive start, taking their first double-digit lead with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter and taking a 33-12 lead with 2:14 left in the opening period.

The Clippers went to work from there, after an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range, trailing 36-23 after one quarter before inching within 56-55 at halftime. The Clippers opened their first lead at 57-56 early in the third quarter before the Pelicans were up 85-83 heading into the fourth.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New Orleans   L.A. Clippers
Zion Williamson 32 Scoring Paul George 34
Dyson Daniels 5 Assists James Harden 10
Dyson Daniels 8 Rebounds Paul George 8
Zion Williamson 6 Free Throws Made James Harden 3
Zion Williamson 2 Steals James Harden 4
Larry Nance Jr. 3 Blocks Daniel Theis 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Orleans 116 48.9 10-24 20-27 26 50 5 6 15
L.A. Clippers 106 45.7 11-37 11-17 27 39 8 11 11
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Clippers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .375 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Utah. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .429 after a loss.