Clippers fall to Pelicans again as Valanciunas enjoys career night

LOS ANGELES — Outrebounded and out-​​Valanciunas’d, the Clippers came up abbreviated Monday nighttime successful a deflating 123-104 nonaccomplishment to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jonas ​​Valanciunas, New Orleans’ bearded large man, scored 29 of his career-high 39 points successful the archetypal half, erstwhile helium changeable 7 for 7 from 3-point range.

Later, the Lithuanian’s soaring right-handed dunk punctuated a memorable nighttime – for him – and pushed the Pelicans’ pb to 107-92 with 4:10 left.

The Clippers mislaid contempt shooting 51.4% (37 for 72) from the field, wounded by a lopsided discrepancy successful second-chance points (18-4), a residual of New Orleans’ 14-4 violative rebounding advantage.

Paul George went 10 for 20 from the tract (though conscionable 3 for 10 from 3-point range) en way to 27 points. And Reggie Jackson (19), Serge Ibaka (13) and Eric Bledsoe (10) each scored successful treble figures.

After starting the play 8-4, the Clippers (11-10) present person mislaid six of their past 9 games.

The Clippers erased overmuch of what had been a 21-point Pelicans pb and got the borderline nether 10 – 95-87 – with 7:21 near aft an authoritative reappraisal flipped an violative foul connected George into an and-1 and sank the escaped throw.

But they couldn’t halt New Orleans (6-17) down the stretch, losing to the Pelicans for the 2nd clip this month.

The Clippers fell down by arsenic galore arsenic 19 points successful the archetypal 4th – contempt making their archetypal 5 shots. They finished the play shooting 3 for 12.

And their usually dependable defence failed to relationship for Valanciunas, who finished 15 for 24 from the field.

In the archetypal half, the 6-foot-11 halfway went 7 for 7 from down the arc successful 16 first-half minutes, tying a New Orleans franchise grounds for astir 3-pointers successful immoderate half.

Together, helium and Ingram combined for 43 points successful the opening fractional connected 17-for-22 shooting, including an 8-for-9 people from down the arc.

In his archetypal 5 NBA seasons, Valanciunas made conscionable 1 3-pointer connected 4 attempts. But helium entered Monday’s crippled shooting 23 for 50 from 3-point scope this season. That tally includes having established a caller vocation precocious erstwhile helium went 5 for 9 against the Clippers successful a triumph implicit Lue’s squad earlier this month.

He missed his lone effort from agelong scope successful the 2nd fractional connected Monday.

The Pelicans – who, by the way, are expecting prima powerfulness guardant Zion Williamson soon to statesman participating successful each squad activities aft undergoing offseason country connected his fractured close ft – mislaid 12 of their archetypal 13 games.

They were 2-14 the past clip they faced the Clippers connected Nov. 19. Valanciunas helped them bushed L.A., 94-81, and New Orleans has gone 3-2 since, with victories implicit Utah and Dallas.

Monday’s crippled astatine Staples Center was New Orleans’ past connected a three-game roadworthy plaything that started with a back-to-back acceptable against the Jazz.

The Clippers lost, 105-90, to Golden State connected Sunday erstwhile they spotted the Warriors 31 points connected a season-high 25 turnovers.

On Monday, they gave it distant 15 times – with George liable for 7 of their turnovers. He’d recorded a career-high-tying 8 turnovers against the Warriors.

More to travel connected this story.