On December 31, 2024, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the 5-win and 27-loss Pelicans host the 18-win and 13-loss Clippers. On paper, the Pelicans were not considered strong opponents for the Clippers. Could the Clippers secure a stable victory? The Pelicans were without Ingram and Zion, with their starting lineup consisting of Murray, McCollum, Herbert Jones, Murphy, and Missi. The Clippers were missing Leonard and Mann, with their starting lineup featuring Harden, Dunn, Powell, Derrick Jones, and Zubac.
In the first quarter, Murray made a mid-range shot, to which Derrick Jones responded with a three-pointer. Murphy and Herbert Jones scored four points in a row, giving the Pelicans a 6-3 lead. Zubac then scored four points, followed by five points from Herbert Jones and a layup from Murphy, extending the Pelicans' lead to 13-7. Harden hit a three-pointer, and Dunn made a steal and dunk, reducing the gap to one point. McCollum responded with a three-pointer, but Harden countered with a 3+1, leveling the score. Herbert Jones made a layup, but Zubac and Derrick Jones responded, allowing the Clippers to take a two-point lead. Murray and Missi scored, while Powell and Harden responded, keeping the difference at two points. Green, McCollum, and Murphy then hit consecutive three-pointers. Although Porter and Coffey responded, the Pelicans managed to regain a five-point lead. Coffey made two free throws, and Hawkins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, ending the first quarter with the Pelicans leading 37-31.
In the second quarter, Ties made a jump shot, extending the Pelicans' lead to eight points. Powell and Coffey reduced the gap to two points. Murray made a mid-range shot, but Powell scored four points in a row and Bamba made a layup, giving the Clippers a two-point lead. Murray and Missi regained the lead by two points, but Powell made a hook shot. McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Murphy then scored consecutively, giving the Pelicans a 14-point lead. Powell and Dunn scored continuously, but McCollum made a layup, leaving the half-time score at Pelicans 62-56, with Powell scoring 15 points in this quarter.
In the third quarter, McCollum hit two consecutive three-pointers, giving the Pelicans a 12-point lead. Zubac and Harden scored, to which Missi and Murphy responded, maintaining a ten-point difference. Derrick Jones made a dunk, but Missi and Murray responded with dunks, keeping the gap at 12 points. Harden, Derrick Jones, and Powell scored, while McCollum and Herbert Jones responded, maintaining a ten-point difference. Harden and Batum reduced the gap to five points. Ties made a layup, leaving a seven-point difference. Porter and Harden hit two consecutive three-pointers, reducing the gap to one point. McCollum made one free throw out of two plus a three-pointer, while Harden made two free throws, ending the third quarter with the Pelicans leading 90-87.
In the fourth quarter, Zubac made a layup, reducing the gap to one point. Green scored four points in a row, extending the gap to five points. Zubac and Powell scored, to which Missi and Boston responded, maintaining a six-point difference. Powell scored five points in a row, reducing the gap to one point. McCollum, Ties, and Murray scored, while Zubac and Powell chased points, keeping the difference at one point. McCollum made a mid-range shot, but Powell scored seven points in a row, giving the Clippers a four-point lead. Herbert Jones and McCollum leveled the score, but Harden made two free throws, and Missi made one out of two, giving the Clippers a one-point lead with four seconds left. Harden then made two more free throws, ending the game with the Clippers defeating the Pelicans 116-113, completing a comeback after trailing by 14 points. Powell scored 16 points in this quarter.
Harden made 6 out of 14 shots (5 out of 10 three-pointers) for 27 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. He leads the league in average single-game scoring with 8.7 points, significantly ahead of others. Powell made 13 out of 27 shots for 35 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, setting a career record with six consecutive games scoring over 25 points. Zubac made 9 out of 13 shots for 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists, performing outstandingly. Derrick Jones scored 11 points and had 3 rebounds.
McCollum made 12 out of 25 shots (8 out of 14 three-pointers) for 33 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists, setting a personal record for three-pointers this season. Murray scored 13 points, had 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals. Murphy scored 18 points, had 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Herbert Jones scored 18 points, had 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Missi scored 12 points, had 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and set a career record with 5 blocks.
After the Clippers' victory, they surpassed the Lakers to claim fifth place in the West, with the Lakers dropping to sixth. However, as other teams also had games today, the rankings are still subject to change.