On April 16, Beijing time, the Clippers and pelicans ushered in a life-and-death battle, and the winner of this playoff will get the last playoff ticket. The Clippers have been preparing for a long time but the bad news has come, and the current star Paul George triggered the health and safety agreement and was forced to truce, making this round of the showdown full of uncertainty.
The problem of lack of George was exposed from the beginning, the Clippers did not have a stable scoring point and soon fell in the ascendant, the Pelicans in addition to the role players played eye-catching, Ingram single quarter 16 points to become an absolute hero, pelicans rebounded to take an 8-point lead in the first quarter. The Pelicans extended their lead to 15 points on a 9-2 offensive run in the second quarter, after which the Pelicans' pullback failed to extend the score further, and the Clippers were given a brief respite to narrow the disadvantage to 10 points into the second half with a 5-0 small climax in the back.
The third quarter was unexpected, the Clippers with limited attack and defense in the first half rebounded amazingly, Reggie scored 10 points to play Mr. Key, and the Clippers blasted a 20-2 director's big reversal, 38 points in a single quarter and rebounded by 10 points. Just when everyone thought the Clippers would take over, the Pelicans woke up to pay homage to the 27-10 offensive wave and take back the initiative to set the record for victory. In the ups and downs of the showdown, the Pelicans took the final train of the playoffs with the 105-101 sunken Clippers, and the first round opponent will be the league overlord Suns.
George's absence was fatal to the Clippers, with Morris Jr. and Reggie scoring 27 points and still unable to return to heaven, and Powell, who came off the bench, contributed 17 points, 4 boards, 1 break and 1 cap but it was difficult to save.
Ingram waited for 6 years to be relieved, playing 42 and a half points, shooting 14 of 21, scoring 30 points, 6 boards and 6 assists, and breaking into the playoffs for the first time in his career. Nance Jr. scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting to grab 16 boards (7 frontcourt boards).
The Clippers missed the playoffs, creating the West Eight Curse, and for the past two years, the eighth-place team in the West has fallen in the playoffs. Last season, the Warriors finished eighth in the regular season, losing back-to-back playoffs to the Lakers and Grizzlies and missing out on the playoffs.
Famous media personality Bill Simmons tweeted the "whipping" of the Lakers Clippers, "LA's NBA team, this season spent a total of $420 million (including luxury taxes), but did not make the playoffs." ”