On March 26, Beijing time, the Pelicans defeated the Clippers 131-110 on the road, achieving a four-game winning streak, with a record of 37-37 catching up with the eighth-place Lakers in the West. The Clippers had a 39-36 record, with the fourth spot in the West being stolen by the Suns. Ingram played all-around, contributing 32 points, 4 rebounds and 13 assists. Trae Murphy became a surprise player, scoring 32 points and shooting 10 of 12 from three-point range.
Leonard, the core of the Clippers, was limited by the Pelicans in this game, his offense was very unsmooth, shooting 4 of 16, 0 of 6 three-pointers, only 12 points, and the small card in the middle of the third quarter was suspected of being elbowed in the face and withdrew from the game early. Wei Shao's state has slipped again, he is like a nerve knife, the state is good, the state is bad. In this game, Wei Shao shot 4 of 12, 1 of 5 three-pointers, had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and had 4 turnovers.
The once triple-double machine can never come back, Wei Shao played a season and a half with the Lakers, his state has been up and down, and now he has not escaped this fate when he arrives with the Clippers, and some statistics have even declined. Obviously, Wei Shao's slump cannot be completely blamed on his lack of adaptation to the Lakers system and playing next to James and the thick-eyed brother.
Wei Shao can't play well in the Clippers consistently, and can only say that his own ability has declined, and he can't resist the aging brought by the years.
Paul George is out and the pressure comes to the younger, but he also needs his teammates to share the pressure for him. In this game, the Pelicans' siege of Xiaoka was very successful. Before this game, Xiaoka averaged 28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in March, shooting 56.8% from the field, 47.5% from three-point range and 87.0% from the free throw line, and was very efficient offensively.
But in this game, the power of the small card could not be exerted. Ingram showed excellent form, and he burst into the first quarter, giving the Pelicans a 12-point lead at 68-56 in the first half. Ingram shot 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range in the first half and had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists without a single turnover.
In the third quarter, Ingram continued his hot form, scoring 15 points in a single quarter and contributing 4 assists, truly playing a core role in the offense. At one point, the Pelicans extended their lead to 21 points. The Clippers rallied back late in the third quarter. Covington and Batum scored back-to-back, with Batum once making it 3+1. The Pelicans led by 14 points into the final quarter.
Valanciunas started the game with seven straight points, Murphy scored another three points as the Pelicans went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead. Murphy was helpless and hit his ninth three-pointer of the game with 8:09 left in the final quarter. McCollum then also threw a three-pointer to extend the Pelicans' lead to 25 points. Murphy scored another 3-point shot with 5:48 left in game time, and he went completely crazy.
The Pelicans eventually won the game, winning four straight and becoming a team that cannot be ignored in the closing stages of the regular season.