The last time the New Orleans Pelicans played in the Intuit Dome, Los Angeles Clippers’ star forward Kawhi Leonard broke their hearts with a game-winner at the buzzer on Halloween night.
There were no late heroics needed Sunday night with the Pelicans' lackluster performance in a 137-117 loss. The Pelicans (19-43), who trailed from start to finish, saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. The Pels were looking to tie their season-high of five consecutive wins they reeled off in mid-December.
But playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they couldn’t overcome a slow start that had them trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half. The Clippers scored 23 points off turnovers in the first half. Despite the first half woes, the Pelicans managed to cut it to 76-70 by halftime. They then got even closer (85-84) on a DeAndre Jordan putback in the third quarter, but could never take the lead.
Rookie guard Jeremiah Fears, coming off his second career double double the night before against the Jazz, was once again a bright spot. Fears came off the bench and scored a career-high 28 points to go with four assists and three rebounds. Fellow rookie Derik Queen had 19 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Pelicans were without Zion Williamson, who sprained his right ankle in the second quarter of Saturday’s victory over the Utah Jazz. Williamson was ruled “questionable” Sunday afternoon, but was downgraded to “out” an hour before Sunday’s game.
Trey Murphy made his return after missing the past five games with a right shoulder contusion that occurred in the final game before the All-Star break. Pelicans' interim head coach James Borrego welcomed Murphy's return.
“Obviously another weapon,” Borrego said during his pre-game press conference. “A versatile player playing at a high level. He just raises our level, our standard, our ceiling. He’s having a tremendous year to this date. The energy, the vibe, the spirit, the competitiveness and the belief. I know he’s happy to be out there with his brothers.”
Murphy scored 16 points in his return.
The Pelicans will stay in Los Angeles and play the Lakers on Tuesday in the fourth game of the six-game road trip. The trip ends with back-to-back games Thursday and Friday against the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.