Clippers Hand Pelicans 3rd Straight Loss
Despite Anthony Davis' impressive performance, the New Orleans Pelicans couldn't overcome their lack of manpower against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, falling in L.A. by the score of 107-100.
Davis scored 26 points on only 13 shot attempts, nailing 11 of them. With 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, he chipped in his 37th double-double of the year.
"We should've gotten him (Davis) more looks, but we turned the ball over so much we couldn't do that," said New Orleans head coach Monty Williams.
Without question, the Pelicans didn't lean on Davis enough, especially with the lack of healthy bodies.
Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson, Tyreke Evans and Omer Asik all sat out with injuries, a common theme for New Orleans this season.
"We've been dealing with a lot of injuries," Davis said. "It's tough, but this is the NBA. We have to deal with the adversity and still try to find a way to win."
In addition to the injuries, 18 turnovers killed the Pelicans chances on Sunday, leading to 30 Clipper points.
"I thought we had a chance, but we couldn't take care of the ball the way we needed to," said Williams. "I can't argue with way we competed."
Eric Gordon came off the bench for the Pelicans for disciplinary reasons after he showed up late to a team meeting on Sunday morning.
Perhaps coming off the bench is a good look for Gordon, as he dropped 23 points on 7-13 from the field, including a 5-8 performance from beyond the arc.
The loss is the third straight for the Pelicans (37-33), who now trail the Oklahoma City Thunder (40-30) by 3 games for 8th place in the Western Conference with only 12 games left to play.
New Orleans returns home for a three game home stand, beginning with the Houston Rockets (46-23) on Wednesday night. Tip-off from the blender is set for 7:00.