Clippers navigate pitfalls of first game back home with methodical win over Pelicans
L.A. moved to 44-32 and into 7th in the Western Conference.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Home might be where the heart is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to win there after returning from a long road trip.
Despite the added potential pitfall of facing one of the league’s worst teams, who also happened to be missing a large swathe of key players, the LA Clippers methodically took care of business on Wednesday night in a 114-98 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Very tough, no matter who you play,” said guard James Harden about the first home game after a long road trip. Harden, who dropped his 33rd double-double of the season, scored 10 of his 21 points in the first quarter while racking up 10 assists for the game.
“Coming from a long road trip, gone for over a week, so no matter who we played, it was going to be a tough game,” Harden added. “We knew that. The whole point was just to get the win, and we did that.”
The win pushed the Clippers to 44-32 on the season and into a three-way tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. Due to tiebreakers, the Clippers ended play on Wednesday in the Western Conference’s 7-seed.
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