CJ McCollum's Big Fourth Quarter Notches Pelicans Quality Win Over Clippers

The Pelicans exercised their demons and beat a quality team on the road in a wire-to-wire victory over the Clippers.

New Orleans heard the criticism regarding the Pelicans not beating the upper-echelon teams in the league. The Pelicans responded in a big way with a 117-106 victory over the top-seeded Clippers. New Orleans rode their stars in the fourth quarter to notch a key Western Conference victory. 

The Pelicans started the game eager to get a victory against an elite team, something that's eluded them recently. New Orleans started the game on a 11-2 run, forcing two turnovers in the first three minutes. The Clippers responded with an 11-2 run of their own to close the gap before the Pelicans turned up the defensive intensity. New Orleans forced eight Clippers turnovers and got a major contribution from Trey Murphy III off the bench.

Feb 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins (24) drives past Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) reach for a rebound in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Murphy III struggled shooting in January but started Wednesday's game red-hot. He made 3/4 shots from beyond the arc, leading the Pels with 11 points. New Orleans had 13 assists on 16 made shots in the quarter and took a 36-19 lead into the second quarter. The Clippers were eager to claw back into the game and did so with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter.

New Orleans cooled off their hot shooting in the first quarter. They began to turn the ball over and Los Angeles capitalized on the mistakes the Pelicans made. James Harden scored 16 points in the first half, carrying the Clippers 'Big 3', who struggled mightily in the first half. Paul George shot 0/9 in the half, while Kawhi Leonard attempted just three shots. The same applied to Zion Williamson. 

Zion had just two shot attempts in the half and no rebounds but dished out six assists. L.A. closed the half by getting the Pelicans lead under single digits at the break. New Orleans announced center Jonas Valanciunas would not return in the second half with a right leg contusion. The Clippers looked to exploit the lack of size inside with Valanciunas out of the game.

Over half of the Clippers' shots in the third quarter came inside the restricted area, but the New Orleans defense remained strong. Reserve forward Dyson Daniels had four steals and two blocks through three quarters. New Orleans held Los Angeles to 22 points in the quarter while holding James Harden scoreless in the period. Offensively, the Pels were not much better with 24 points scored, but they took a double-digit lead into the final period. 

New Orleans lead quickly disappeared after the Clippers went on a 5-0 run in the first minute of the fourth quarter. The Pelicans didn't panic, but instead got their star player involved. Zion Williamson scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the quarter to push the Pelicans lead back to double-digits. CJ McCollum then hit three three-pointers in three minutes to extend the lead further. McCollum finished with 13 points in the quarter, leading the Pelicans with 25 points for the game.

The victory was the Pels's fourth straight in L.A. over the Clippers. They improved to nine games above .500. Zion Williamson finished with 21 points and ten assists, while James Harden led the Clippers in scoring with 19 points. New Orleans will remain in Los Angeles and play the Lakers on Friday night.