The New Orleans Pelicans had a not-so-typical night at the office. The 116-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday evening was far from the team’s best, but they still managed to turn it into the team’s first 3-0 start since the 2010-11 season.
Los Angeles entered this matchup ranked 27th in pace and fourth in defensive rating. It was a rough night for the New Orleans offense from the start, lacking ball movement, transition opportunities and outside shooting throughout. The game became a recipe calling for grit, and that’s exactly what the Pelicans answered with.