The Los Angeles Clippers’ dramatic turnaround has taken a few baby steps backward.
They’ll try to regain their footing when they host the improving New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
The Clippers followed a 7-21 start with a 20-10 surge and they are in strong position to qualify for the play-in tournament, but they’ve lost their past three games as injuries have hampered them.
“Our guys are going to play hard, they’re going to compete and put you in a position to win the game,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “And that’s kind of been the last three games — just be able to play hard, compete.”
Guard Darius Garland (left toe injury) has yet to make his L.A. debut since being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a mid-season shakeup that saw the Clippers trade away James Harden and center Ivica Zubac. Garland appears close to returning but has been ruled out for Sunday.
L.A. also played without Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and John Collins (head) in a 94-88 home loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. Kris Dunn assumed a larger role and responded with 11 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes.
“I’m just trying to be a connector on the team,” Dunn said. “Whatever the coaching staff asks me to do, I just try to do it. If that’s to be on the ball, be off the ball, that’s just locking somebody up, I just try to do what I can do.”
The Clippers expect to have Leonard (28.0 points per game) back and Collins (13.8) is listed as questionable for the game against New Orleans. They have leaned on newcomer Bennedict Mathurin to boost the offense, and he has averaged 20.7 points in his first six games.
The Pelicans have won four consecutive games after beating the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday and Saturday.
Saddiq Bey followed his season-high 42-point game Thursday with a team-high 24 points in a 115-105 win Saturday. New Orleans led by 27 points in both games before seeing the leads shrink to single digits.
“Getting two wins here is fantastic,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “But we’ve got to close better.”
New Orleans lost second-leading scorer Zion Williamson to a right ankle injury after he played just 11 minutes Saturday. His status for Sunday is uncertain, but leading scorer Trey Murphy III could return from a five-game absence due to a right shoulder contusion.
Point guard Dejounte Murray is likely to return after sitting out the front of this back-to-back on Saturday in the wake of playing his first two games since undergoing Achilles surgery last January.
But the team still had plenty of offensive production in the two games against the Jazz. They had a season-high 37 assists on 46 field goals Thursday and 32 assists on 39 field goals Saturday.
“We’re being much more efficient in transition,” Borrego said. “The guys have been sharing the basketball, having around 30 assists every night, not caring who gets the credit or who gets the shot, just making the right, simple play.”
