Pelicans bury Clippers with a late surge after trading punches early

The Clippers come out firing, but New Orleans keeps leaning into the game until the Pelicans finally seize control and never give it back. L.A. opens with a 40-point first quarter and a big early cushion, yet the home side answers possession by possession, then turns the game in the third and finishes with a decisive fourth-quarter burst for a 124-109 win.

The opening minutes belong to the Clippers, who punch first with a 13-point spurt that starts from a 12-11 game and ends at 12-23. Kawhi Leonard is right in the middle of it, knocking down a pair of free throws to cap the run and push L.A. into early command. The Clippers stretch that edge even further with a second push — a 9-0 run sparked by Kris Dunn’s corner three — and suddenly the visitors are up 18-36. L.A. has the pace, the shot-making, and the confidence to make New Orleans chase.

But the Pelicans don’t let the first-quarter avalanche become a knockout. They chip into the margin in the second, settle in, and by halftime the game is tied 60-60. That’s the first real sign that New Orleans can absorb the punch and reset the terms. The third quarter becomes the swing period. Trey Murphy III drills a 25-foot pull-up three to cap a 9-0 run from 86-81 to 94-81, and the building starts to feel the shift. Murphy’s shot-making stretches the floor, Dejounte Murray keeps organizing the offense, and the Pelicans keep adding pressure on the other end. By the time the third ends, New Orleans has turned a deficit into a 96-85 lead.

From there, the game is about control rather than chaos. The Clippers make one last push early in the fourth, but New Orleans answers with an 8-0 run from 96-87 to 103-87, finished by a running layup from J. Fears. That sequence matters because it slams the door on any thought of a final L.A. rally. Then Murray lands the knockout punch: with 3:53 left, he rises into a 21-foot pull-up jumper to make it 121-101. It’s the kind of shot that doesn’t just extend the lead — it ends the argument. New Orleans keeps the pressure on defensively too, with C. Christie, I. Jackson, S. Bey, and H. Jones all making active plays in the closing minutes as the Pelicans smother the last bit of resistance.

The box score tells the story of a balanced win, but the way it unfolded matters just as much. Saddiq Bey scores 25 with five threes, Kawhi Leonard matches him with 25 of his own on a blistering 75% shooting, and Trey Murphy III adds 23 points, seven boards, and five assists while repeatedly punishing the Clippers in rhythm. Dejounte Murray’s 17 points and 11 assists set the table all night, and Herbert Jones’ five steals show how disruptive New Orleans becomes once it’s on top. The Pelicans survive the early hit, win the middle, and close with force — a strong showing that boosts their momentum as they keep pushing in the standings, while the Clippers are left to wonder how a 40-point first quarter turned into a 15-point road loss.