Davis’ 46 Leads Pels Past Clippers
- Updated: January 14, 2019
Coming off back to back losses the LA Clippers entered Monday night’s matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans hoping to turn things around.
Things got off to a great start for the home squad as the Clippers shot an impressive 60% from beyond the arc in the opening quarter. Meanwhile the defensive matchup of Danilo Gallinari on Anthony Davis was working, with Davis managing just 4 points.
It’s tough to keep a player like Davis down for long though as he managed 11 in the second,14 in the third and a clutch 15 in the fourth and final quarter of play. Davis closed out the game with a double-double, notching 46 points and 16 rebounds.
Davis wasn’t the only Pelican to catch fire as the game wore on. New Orleans ended the first half with a slim lead thanks to Davis and his fellow big man Julius Randle. The former Laker Randle had a huge night in his old home arena, netting 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Clippers on the other hand started to show signs of struggle towards the end of the first half but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched their stars. Gallinari and Tobias Harris were clicking offensively, with each scoring in double-digits. They solidified their strong nights as the game continued with 25 points and 6 assists for Gallinari and 21 points and 6 rebounds for Harris by the time this one was finished.
.@tobias31 and @gallinari8888‘s first half summary: 🔥
📊 26 PTS | 9-11 FG | 4-5 3FG pic.twitter.com/Tn3pZqYAph
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 15, 2019
When the teams came out for the second half things shifted dramatically in favor or New Orleans. A huge run saw them grow what was once a slim lead to as many as 20 thanks to their timely buckets and some careless turnovers from LA.
Led by some solid defensive play the Clippers put up a run of their own, trimming that lead to just 6 by the time the third quarter finished.
Montrezl Harrell was having a stellar night throughout, but in the fourth quarter he began to shine. Harrell contributed in a myriad of ways finishing with with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the game. 9 points and 4 rebounds of which came in the closing quarter. His fantastic play at both ends helped the Clippers gain the lead at one point but no lead is safe when a player like Davis is on the other side.
Momentum swung back and forth endlessly as the clock ran down but it would be New Orleans that would finish the game on top. Winning this one 121-117.
This loss gives LA their third straight defeat in what is a narrow Western Conference playoff race. They’ll have a chance to get back in the winning column Wednesday agains the Utah Jazz but the schedule isn’t getting any easier from there with the Warriors and then Spurs following up that contest.
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