Pelicans clinch playoff berth with comfortable win at Clippers

PLAYOFF BOUND!!! #DoItBigger pic.twitter.com/6SiSg5DFvK

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 10, 2018

Facing a Los Angeles Clippers team without leading scorer Lou Williams, Austin Rivers, Danilo Gallinari and Patrick Beverley, the New Orleans Pelicans faced a must-win situation Monday night.

New Orleans handled it extremely well, whipping the Clippers 113-100 – in a game that wasn’t that close – to clinch its first playoff appearance since 2015.

Tied 13-13 early on, New Orleans went on a 13-0 run to take a 26-13 lead. The Pelicans led 31-23 after one quarter behind five 3-pointers from four different players, including a pair by E’Twaun Moore. Anthony Davis and Moore each scored eight points in the period as New Orleans had 10 assists on 12 made shots.

Alvin Gentry rested Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday to start the second quarter and the Clippers cut the deficit to 36-30 before both returned with 8:26 to play in the half.

After the Clippers rallied to take a 49-47 lead, New Orleans responded by closing the half on a 12-0 run to take a 59-49 lead by halftime.

New Orleans was 9-for-16 from 3-point range in the half with Ian Clark and Niko Mirotic each knocking down three triples. Clark was outstanding with 13 points and four assists in 13 minutes off the bench. He was the only reserve to score in the half. He was 5-for 6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

Mirotic was brilliant with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

Davis finished the half with 14 points and Moore had 10.

New Orleans broke it open in the third quarter. It was showtime in Los Angeles though Magic Johnson was not in the house at Staples Center. Rajon Rondo and Davis put on a show with their communication with Davis dunking three times, including an amazing one on a pass by Rondo off the backboard resulting in a highlight reel dunk for all-time.

The Pelicans outscored the Clippers 34-22 in the quarter to take a commanding 93-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Davis finished the quarter with 11 points.

The fourth quarter was a chance for Gentry to rest key players down the stretch.

Davis finished with 28 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Mirotic had 24 points and 16 rebounds. Moore finished with 19 points while Clark had 13, all in the first half.

New Orleans is now an impressive 20-13 without DeMarcus Cousins, who was in attendance on this night.

The Pelicans close the regular season at home against the Spurs Wednesday night. What is at stake?

With a win and help, New Orleans can reach as high as the fourth spot in the Western Conference. New Orleans could end up tied with either Utah or Portland but the Pelicans would lose the tiebreaker with both.

The Pelicans own the tiebreaker edge against Oklahoma City. Though they have the tiebreaker with San Antonio, the teams cannot finish with the same record.

Should the Pelicans lose to San Antonio, they would finish seventh or eighth because they lose the tiebreaker with both Denver and Minnesota and the Thunder are a virtual certainty to beat Memphis at home Wednesday.

The Spurs and Thunder clinched playoff spots with wins Monday night with victories over Sacramento and Miami, respectively. Denver kept pace by holding off Portland. Minnesota did the same by whipping Memphis.

The Nuggets play at Minnesota Wednesday. The winner makes the playoffs while the loser is out in a winner-take-all situation.

Utah hosts Golden State Tuesday night and closes at Portland Wednesday night. If the Jazz win both games, they wrestle the third spot away from the Blazers. That could be good for the Pelicans.

If Utah loses both games and the Pelicans beat the Spurs, New Orleans would get the fourth spot over the Jazz.

The difference between finishing fourth, fifth or eighth is huge.

In the fourth spot, the Pelicans would have home court advantage.

In the fifth spot, New Orleans would have a shot to beat Portland in a seven-game series. The two split their regular season series 2-2. Should the Pelicans have to face Utah, the draw is much tougher. The Jazz controlled the season series 3-1 and they are bad match, with a ton of length and playing very well.

In the eighth spot, you get Houston and you likely go home after one round.

Three- and four-team tiebreakers can still happen. The possibilities are dizzying. Here’s a helpful NBA chart showing all the scenarios:

While the Pelicans are in the playoffs, there is so much to play for Wednesday night. Get your tickets now!