Norman Powell and James Harden power Clippers to win over Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS — Norman Powell scored 35 points, James Harden hit go-ahead free throws with 17.9 seconds left and the Clippers held on to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 116-113 on Monday night.
With the Pelicans — losers of 10 straight and 19 of 20 — trying to tie the score, Harden adroitly fouled rookie center Yves Missi, whose 12-point, nine-rebound and five-block performance was tarnished by his missed free throw that could have tied it at 114 with 4.3 seconds left.
Officials prematurely blew the whistle because they thought Missi’s foul shot missed the rim. They called for a jump ball at center court after video review.
Norman Powell finishes with 24 points and James Harden scores 18 points as the Clippers held off a late comeback push by Golden State in a 102-92 victory.
Ivica Zubac won the tip back to Harden, who made two more free throws with less than two seconds remaining to complete his 27-point performance. CJ McCollum shot from half-court and hit the front rim.
“We’ve got a lot of grit, we’ve got a lot of toughness,” Powell said during a postgame interview on FanDuel Sports Network. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have IQ that are able to figure out the way the game’s being played. We were able to buckle down, especially in those last moments. Get some crucial stops, force them into some tough shots, secure the rebound and make plays offensively when we needed to.”
Zubac finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve won three straight and five of six.
The Pelicans led by as many as 14 points when Trey Murphy’s three made it 59-45 late in the second quarter. But the Clippers closed the half on an 11-3 run.
The Clippers trailed most of the game and never led by more than four.
McCollum hit eight threes and led New Orleans with 33 points. Murphy and Herb Jones each scored 18, while Dejounte Murray had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.
Powell scored at least 25 points for the sixth consecutive game, a career-best streak for a player who was once considered a limited scoring threat. The UCLA alum was selected No. 46 in the 2015 NBA draft by Milwaukee and immediately traded to Toronto. He won a championship with the Raptors before he was acquired by the Trail Blazers during 2021-22 season. Powell was traded to the Clippers in 2022 and has averaged double-figure scoring for the team, but the San Diego native has never earned NBA All-Star honors.
When he was asked postgame Monday night what All-Star voters should know about how hard he has worked to become a go-to scorer as Kawhi Leonard continues to recover from an injury, Powell responded: “Extremely hard. Ten years. ... Sacrificing, committing to the grind, believing in myself no matter what people were saying about me. Putting limits on my game, putting caps on the type of player I could be, especially coming into this league.
“People said I couldn’t shoot, couldn’t score. My calling card was defense. I did that. I just continued to believe in myself and elevate my game every offseason, using the motivation from the doubters and ... the naysayers. I’m going to continue to work, continue to help this team win games, that’s the most important thing.”
The Clippers held advantages of 40-35 in rebounding, 56-44 in paint points and 21-11 in made free throws to weather one of New Orleans’ better performances in the past month.
The Pelicans made a season-best 18 three-pointers.
The Clippers also converted 14 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
L.A. next plays at San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will not play against the Warriors on Friday, nor will he accompany the team on its upcoming three-game trip.
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