On December 31st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued as the Los Angeles Clippers traveled to face the New Orleans Pelicans away from home. The Pelicans were in the midst of a 9-game losing streak, firmly holding the last spot in the Western Conference; while the Clippers were on a 2-game winning streak, needing more victories to avoid falling into the play-in tournament area. Both teams started off with a fierce offensive battle, with the Pelicans slightly ahead in the chaos until the second quarter when the Clippers managed to level the score thanks to Kobe Bryant's heroic performance. After halftime, the Pelicans hit multiple three-pointers, building a massive 16-point lead at one point. In desperate times, Harden stepped up, attacking and assisting to help the Clippers erase the deficit. The two teams then became embroiled in a tug-of-war, with the game's suspense dragging on until the end. The Clippers completed a great comeback with Harden's free throw. Ultimately, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Pelicans 116-113.
The Pelicans, plagued by injuries, faced the surging Clippers and gambled with their hot shooting, achieving an impressive 51.2% field goal percentage and sinking 18 three-pointers at a 48.6% rate. In contrast, the Clippers shot only 35.1% from beyond the arc, making just 13 of 37 attempts. However, the Pelicans' limited talent and single-minded approach allowed the Clippers to mount a decisive counterattack with their dominance in the paint. Throughout the game, the Clippers outrebounded their opponents 40-35, dominated the offensive rebounds 14-6, and outscored them in the paint 56-44. Crucially, the Clippers made 21 of 27 free throws, while the Pelicans made only 11 of 14, giving the Clippers a 10-point advantage from the charity stripe!
Next is Zubac, who played 36 minutes, shooting 9 of 13 and 2 of 5 from the free throw line, tallying 20 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Zubac's pick-and-roll with Harden is the starting point of the Clippers' tactics. He finished his scoring opportunities to perfection, leaving the rookie Pelicans center Misi in awe! More importantly, Zubac is too tall, and his protection of the defensive rebounds is too strong. He grabbed 7 offensive rebounds alone, more than the entire Pelicans team (6)! According to statistics, this is the 10th time this season that Zubac has grabbed at least 15 rebounds in a single game, the second most in the league, behind only Towns (13 times).
Finally, there is Kobe Bryant, who played 40 minutes, shooting 13 of 27 (4 of 12 from three-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free throw line, exploding for 35 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. If Harden is the helmsman of the Clippers, and Zubac is the pillar of the Clippers, then Kobe Bryant is the vanguard of the Clippers, with scoring being his top priority, and he did not disappoint! When the Clippers fell behind at the start, Kobe Bryant scored 15 points in the second quarter to help the team level the score; when the Clippers trailed by 16 points in the second half, Kobe Bryant scored another 16 points in the final quarter, teaming up with Harden to orchestrate a great comeback! According to statistics, this is the sixth consecutive game in which Kobe Bryant has scored over 25 points. After the game, the Clippers continued to hype up Kobe Bryant: he deserves to be selected for the All-Star Game!
After this victory, the Clippers have won three consecutive games, with a record of 19 wins and 1 loss, ranking fifth in the West, just one game behind the fourth-seeded Mavericks (20 wins and 12 losses), and leading the sixth-seeded Nuggets (18 wins and 13 losses) and the seventh-seeded Lakers (18 wins and 13 losses) by 0.5 games. The Clippers face both opportunities and challenges, but the good news is that according to previous reports from American media, Leonard is expected to return in the home game against the Hawks on January 5th to make his season debut! We hope Leonard keeps his word, and we also hope that Harden, Zubac, and Kobe Bryant continue their efforts, as this Clippers team is still worth looking forward to! What do you think about this, basketball fans? Leave me a comment to discuss it.
