(Field level media) Zion Williamson had 34 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals and the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Los Angeles Clippers 112-104 last night. Trey Murphy III added 14 points, Brandon Ingram scored 13, Larry Nance Jr. scored 12 and CJ McCollum scored 11 as the Pelicans (40-26) won the season series against the Clippers, 3-1. Paul George scored 26, Kawhi Leonard scored 23 and Norman Powell added 15 for Los Angeles (42-24), which played without James Harden (strained left shoulder) for a second straight game. Williamson scored the Pelicans’ first 10 points of the third quarter and Herbert Jones added a basket as New Orleans opened a 62-51 lead. Leonard scored four points and Terance Mann scored a 3-pointer to help the Clippers pull within two. The Pelicans built the lead back to six before Los Angeles pulled within 71 on a 3-pointer from Powell.
The score was tied three more times before Williamson beat the quarter buzzer with a layup that gave New Orleans an 82-80 lead at the end of the period. Williamson assisted on Murphy’s 3-pointer and added a layup to start the fourth-quarter scoring and extend the lead to 87-80. After Powell’s three-point play, Murphy assisted on Naji Marshall’s 3-pointer and Marshall set up Murphy’s dunk, increasing the lead to 92-83 with 10:24 to play.
The Clippers got within four points four times before a basket by Williamson and a 3-pointer by Ingram increased the lead to 105-96 with 5:37 to play.
Baskets from George and Leonard brought Los Angeles within five before Nance and Williamson put the game out of reach.
Both offenses struggled in the first quarter, which ended with the Clippers leading 22-20.
Murphy and Alvarado made 3-pointers and New Orleans took a 31-26 lead early in the second quarter. George hit a triple and Mann scored four runs to help Los Angeles regain a two-run lead.
Jones scored five points and Williamson added four as the Pelicans took their largest lead of the half, 48-40. George scored four points to cut the lead in half before Williamson made two free throws to give the Pelicans a 50-44 halftime advantage.
