Pelicans continue dominance of Clippers with 113-89 win

On Tuesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans gave their fans both a heart attack and a thrill in a win over Minnesota on a three-pointer by Brandon Ingram with less than two seconds remaining.

On Thursday night, there was no such drama but the result was the same, much to the delight of a fan base that is being entertained and is growing more interested in the improving product.

The Pelicans dominated from start to finish against the Los Angeles Clippers at Smoothie King Center.

Then, the Clippers made a bit of a run but the Pelicans were never threatened in a the final frame of a 113-89 victory.

New Orleans jumped out to a 28-15 after one quarter and it was 53-34 at halftime. It was 87-63 going to the final frame.

Brandon Ingram led a balanced attack with 24 points while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Herb Jones added 14 points.

New Orleans controlled the boards by a 57-46 margin.

The Pelicans pounded the Clippers in the paint, outscoring Los Angeles 50-28.

The Clippers had 15 turnovers to just six for New Orleans and the Pelicans scored 23 points off the Los Angeles turnovers.

Perhaps the Pelicans would love the Clippers to appear on the schedule more often.

New Orleans beat the Clippers 94-81 on Nov. 19 and won 123-104 at Los Angeles on Nov. 29. The two teams will meet once more, in Los Angeles on Apr. 3. New Orleans has now won five straight games against the Clippers.

Yes, Los Angeles was without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George but the Clippers will not get any sympathy from the Pelicans, who have gone all season without Zion Williamson and had other key players miss key games as well.

When you have a chance to take advantage of an opponent in the NBA, you must do so and New Orleans did just that.

Just past the halfway mark of the season, New Orleans is at 16-26 and poised to make a run at the 10th spot in the Western Conference for a play-in position in the playoffs.

The Pelicans hit the road for a tough three-game road trip to the northeast, beginning with a tough test Saturday at Brooklyn.