Tune-In Tidbits: ESPN Sunday, March 14, 2021
Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 28 points in LA’s win over New Orleans on Jan. 13.
Clippers (25-14) at Pelicans (16-22)
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
• The Clippers won the first meeting with the Pelicans, 111-106 on Jan. 13, behind a combined 55 points from Kawhi Leonard (28) and Paul George (27). This season the Clippers are 6-2 when both Leonard and George score at least 25 points in the same game — the only team to defeat them is Brooklyn twice.
• The Pelicans were shorthanded in the first meeting as Zion Williamson, Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball all missed the contest. New Orleans did get a career-high 37 points from Nickel Alexander-Walker, who scored 13 points on 6-7 shooting in just 29 seconds of matchup time against Serge Ibaka.
• The Pelicans rank fifth in the NBA in points in the paint (53.2 ppg), which accounts for 46.1% of their total offense. New Orleans is led by Zion Williamson, who leads the NBA at 19.2 points in the paint per game. The Clippers allow the ninth-most points in the paint at 48.7 points per game.
• This is a matchup of two of the top seven offenses in the NBA as the Clippers rank third in offensive efficiency, scoring 116.8 points per 100 possessions, and the Pelicans rank seventh (115.3). While the two are close offensively, the Clippers hold the edge on defense as they rank 14th at 111.1 points allowed per 100 possessions, compared to the 28th-ranked Pelicans (115.9).
• The Clippers rank first in the NBA in 3-point percentage (42.0%) and sixth in 3-pointers made per game (14.5). They will face a Pelicans team that allows the third-highest 3-point percentage to their opponents (39.2%) and allows the most 3-pointers made per game (15.4).
