The New Orleans Pelicans opened their West Coast trip with a 114-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Los Angeles won the season series against New Orleans for the first time since the 2019-2020 NBA season. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 28 points on 11/18 shooting from the field.
Los Angeles looks to solidify itself for playoff positioning with the regular season’s end right around the corner. The Clippers currently occupy the seventh seed, but they are only two games behind the fourth-seed Denver Nuggets in the loss column. Leonard told reporters post-game that he has a keen eye on the standings as the season ends.
Kawhi Leonard on watching the standings: "I do watch games, but winning is whoever you put in front of me."
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) April 3, 2025
“I do watch games,” Leonard told reporters after Wednesday’s victory. “But winning is whoever you put in front of me.” The Clippers are starting to play some of their best basketball of the season, winning 12 of their last 15 games and really showing some key depth off the bench.
Sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points off the bench, including making five three-pointers as the Clippers pulled away in the second half. Depth will be a key factor come playoff time, as stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden already carry a significant load on the offensive end.
"Kawhi Leonard, the aimbot"
This is a @BSieman appreciation post. pic.twitter.com/zfculf2ZNX
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 3, 2025
The Pelicans’ season is nearing its end, and the team hopes to rebound from a disappointing year. Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum were recently announced as out for the year because of nagging injuries. They join Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Dejounte Murray, who suffered season-ending injuries earlier in the year. The Pelicans have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
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