Kawhi Leonard capped a 34-point performance with a tiebreaking 22-footer with four-tenths of a second left, James Harden recorded his third double-double of the season, and the Los Angeles Clippers opened their NBA Cup schedule with a 126-124 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
After the Pelicans, down most of the night, rallied into a 124-all tie with 9.6 seconds left on two Zion Williamson free throws, the Clippers went to Leonard for the final shot and he delivered with a long-range jumper.
Harden finished with 24 points and a game-high 14 assists, while Ivica Zubac put up a double-double of his own with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as opening-night winners in the NBA Cup’s West Group B.
Seeking their first win in five tries this season, the visiting Pelicans led by as many as seven in the early going before the Clippers controlled most of the final 42 minutes.
Harden hit four 3-pointers in the game, three in the final 4:10 of the first half, during which the Clippers flipped a 46-43 deficit into a 67-59 advantage at halftime. One of Harden’s 3-pointers turned into a four-point play thanks to an Yves Missi foul.
New Orleans fell behind by as many as 17, but made it a nail-biter down the stretch, first drawing even at 107-all on a Jeremiah Fears hoop with 5:55 left.
Derrick Jones Jr. and Leonard countered with 3-pointers to open a six-point lead, but Williamson forced the Clippers’ last-second dramatics by saving 11 of his 29 points for the final 3:58.
Jones chipped in with 16 points and John Collins 14 for the Clippers, who improved to 3-0 at home this season.
Jordan Poole came off the bench to score a team-high 30 points for the Pelicans, who are two games into a rugged three-game trip that will see them in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Trey Murphy III added 17 points and Herbert Jones 11 for New Orleans, while Missi had a team-high nine rebounds and Fears a team-high eight assists to go with 13 points.
The Pelicans lost despite outscoring the Clippers 54-45 from beyond the arc. Poole shot 7-for-13, Murphy 5-for-10 and Herbert Jones 3-for-4 from deep, helping the visitors connect at a 48.6% clip.
With Zubac going 5-for-7 and Leonard 11-for-16 from the floor, the Clippers outshot the visitors overall 51.7% to 48.2%.
