Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images
Buzzer Reaction
 Los Angeles Clippers |
 New Orleans Pelicans |
MVP: Ryan Anderson has had a rough season, shooting well under 40 percent from the field. He had to start in place of Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis tonight, and he was great, scoring 24 points and making five three-pointers. All 14 of Anderson’s second-half points came in a third-quarter that saw the Pelicans outscore the Clippers 35-22, and the Clippers never led after Anderson hit his first of three second-half threes.
That was … a reminder: This was one of the Clippers’ worst performances of the season, and not just because AD enjoyed this one in street clothes. The Clippers don’t get blitzed coming out of halftime too often. The 35 points they allowed in the 3rd quarter were the third-most of the season. New Orleans got some great performances from the talent they had available, and with a trip to San Antonio coming tomorrow, the Clippers were reminded that there are no easy nights on this road trip.
X factor: Don’t sleep on Tyreke Evans. He’s had to start the last ten games at PG in the absence of Jrue Holiday, and the Pelicans have won seven of them. Evans had a game-high 12 assists tonight, marking the third time in the last four games he dropped a dozen FDRs on the opposition, all Pelicans wins. By comparison, Holiday has one game of at least 12 assists in 37 games played this season.
— Law Murray
Tweets Of The Game
The Clippers’ tweeting race is heating up pic.twitter.com/Dp3eUMuYjw
— Andrew Han (@andrewthehan) January 30, 2015
Doc Rivers said it would’ve been an “injustice” if Clippers had stolen a win in New Orleans because the Pelicans played that much harder
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 31, 2015
Austin Rivers checks in and no announcement from the P.A. announcer. He was also right about there not being a video tribute.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 31, 2015
That Eric Gordon Revenge Game Tho
— Michael Pina (@MichaelVPina) January 31, 2015
Check Your Messages
A$AP Blerg
A struggling fringe-playoff team on the first night of a back-to-back without their star players. How predictable was this loss?
– Andrew Han
Respect
I’m going to keep this one short – what a nice game for Eric Gordon. The former Clipper who was the centerpiece of the Chris Paul trade has struggled to be effective for the Pelicans, for myriad reasons. Gordon came into this game averaging a career-low 12.0 points per game; just four years ago, Gordon was averaging 22.0 points per game for the Clippers.
Gordon shined tonight, hitting five threes and scoring seven of his season-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans needed to snuff out a Clippers comeback.
The group of players assembled on this New Orleans team is funky, and it hasn’t helped Gordon live up to his contract. Gordon’s durability hasn’t helped either. But with Davis and Holiday out tonight, and with Chris Paul and Austin Rivers back in New Orleans, Gordon stepped up and helped beat his old team for the first time in seven tries. Hats off to Eric Gordon.
– Law Murray
