Check out Clippers forward Paul George as he skillfully grabs a rebound in front of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado in the first half of the thrilling Clippers’ win on Friday night. (Tyler Kaufman / Associated Press)
Big moments in the NBA are always full of action and excitement. With games being paused and public-address announcements being made, all eyes are always on the players.
When the Clippers reached their own milestone against New Orleans inside Smoothie King Center, there was no fanfare and not even an acknowledgement. However, what it lacked in celebration, it certainly made up for in significance.
Five minutes into the first quarter of Friday’s 111-95 victory, the Clippers’ starting lineup of point guard James Harden, wings Terance Mann, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and center Ivica Zubac played their 265th minute of the season — the most any Clippers lineup has spent together since Leonard and George arrived in 2019.
It seems it was not a coincidence that the Clippers, as a whole, appear to be more dangerous than at any other point during Leonard and George’s four previous seasons, with Friday’s game being the latest example. Their win, improving their record to 22-12 and marking their 14th win in their last 16 games, was not just a win – it was a complete dismantling of New Orleans along the way.
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The Pelicans had won nine of their previous 12 games and hadn’t lost a home game to the Clippers since Jan. 18, 2020. However, by the end of three quarters, the Clippers led by 24 points. Additionally, with a lead of 31 points, five minutes into the fourth quarter, both teams emptied their benches, allowing backup center Mason Plumlee his first minutes since injuring a knee on Nov. 6.
George scored a team-high 24 points, Leonard added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Harden scored eight points with 13 rebounds. The Clippers took control with a 23-4 run in the second quarter; they sent fans streaming for the exits with a 25-9 run that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth.
No one raises a banner in January. Nevertheless, reaching that many repetitions with 48 games still to play in the regular season marks a level of stability the Clippers have never enjoyed in Leonard and George’s previous four seasons. Continuity cannot guarantee a long postseason run, but the Clippers are living proof a lack of it will almost certainly doom one. Injuries turned the Clippers’ regular-season lineups into a revolving door and their ambitions of winning the franchise’s first NBA title increasingly Sisyphean.
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Watch out for Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard as he expertly drives past New Orleans guard Jose Alvarado in the first half Thursday. (Tyler Kaufman / Associated Press)
“As a guy who’s been here that whole time and been a starter the whole time,