LA Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans Game Player Stats and Box Scores for March 15, 2024

The LA Clippers were without James Harden when they traveled to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Harden remained inactive due to a shoulder injury. Without "The Beard," the Clippers leaned on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

The first quarter was a little sloppy and a defensive struggle. Both teams had a couple of mini-runs but were largely bunched together. The visitors had a slight 22-20 advantage after the first 12 minutes.

Trey Murphy helped open up things for the New Orleans Pelicans starting the second quarter. He gave his team energy and deadly outside shooting. Zion Williamson also had a couple of baskets. CJ McCollum's playmaking also made a difference.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard showed their two-way impact. But, the Clippers sorely lacked Harden or Russell Westbrook's playmaking. They did just enough to stay within striking distance of the hosts. LA trailed 50-44 to end the first half.

Zion Williamson hit all seven of his field goals in the third quarter to add 16 points to his total. Williamson's coast-to-coast drive with 3.5 remaining gave the New Orleans Pelicans a slim 82-80 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter, particularly the last four minutes, was electric. It had a playoff atmosphere as both teams traded one crucial play after another. "Zanos" wasn't as explosive scoring the basket but he was phenomenal dictating the pace of the game.

Zion Williamson's playmaking shone when he dismantled the LA Clippers' defense on several occasions with nifty passes. When the visitors' defense wasn't as occupied on him as before, he proceeded to explode for points.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard had terrific nights but it became clear how much this team would need James Harden. They struggled to adjust to him in the lineup back in December but they're now almost too reliant on him to orchestrate plays.

The New Orleans Pelicans' 112-104 victory also won them the season series 3-1 against the LA Clippers. Both teams are in a slugfest for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. New Orleans' win tonight could mean starting on the road or hosting a first-round playoff series.

LA Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans game player stats and box scores

LA Clippers game player stats

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Paul George	26	5	6	1	1	2	10-21	3-9	3-3	-9
Kawhi Leonard	23	7	2	0	2	1	8-15	1-3	6-6	0
Ivica Zubac	9	11	2	1	1	1	4-7	0-0	1-2	-12
Bones Hyland	5	2	4	2	1	2	2-9	1-6	0-0	-1
Terance Mann	9	4	0	1	0	1	3-5	1-1	2-2	+3
P.J. Tucker	6	2	0	0	3	1	2-3	2-3	0-0	-2
Daniel Theis	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-2	0-1	0-0	-1
Mason Plumlee	3	2	0	0	0	1	1-1	0-0	1-1	+7
Amir Coffey	8	3	3	0	0	2	3-5	2-4	0-0	-14
Norman Powell	15	0	1	1	0	1	4-9	2-6	5-5	-11
Brandon Boston Jr.	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Xavier Moon	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Josh Primo	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

New Orleans Pelicans game player stats

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Zion Williamson	34	7	4	3	1	3	14-21	0-0	6-10	+11
Brandon Ingram	13	5	7	1	0	0	4-12	2-4	3-4	+1
Herb Jones	7	4	5	1	1	3	3-6	1-3	0-0	+6
Jonas Valanciunas	4	6	0	0	0	0	1-6	0-1	2-2	-2
CJ McCollum	11	6	4	1	0	2	5-13	1-7	0-0	0
Larry Nance Jr.	12	4	3	0	0	0	4-6	0-1	4-4	+9
Nnaji Marshall	8	2	1	1	0	0	3-8	2-5	0-0	+2
Jose Alvarado	9	0	0	1	0	0	3-5	3-5	0-0	+5
Trey Murphy III	14	6	4	0	0	0	5-10	4-9	0-0	+8
Matt Ryan	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cody Zeller	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jordan Hawkins	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Brandon Ingram 3-pointers tonight

Paul George went 3-for-9 in 3-pointers tonight for the LA Clippers. Kawhi Leonard wasn't as aggressive launching triples and finished 1-for-3.

Brandon Ingram made half of his four three-point attempts for New Orleans. Zion Williamson did not attempt one but Trey Murphy III waxed hot from that distance. The underrated Pelicans backup guard tallied 4-of-9 three-point attempts.