Pelicans can taste プレーオフs, take 目的（とする） at Clippers
The New Orleans Pelicans are on the 瀬戸際 of clinching a play-in 位置／汚点／見つけ出す in the Western 会議／協議会.
The Pelicans can 保証（人） a 位置／汚点／見つけ出す if they （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 the Clippers on Sunday night in Los Angeles and if the Lakers lose at home against Denver earlier in the day.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Pelicans (34-43), who started the season 3-16 but have 殺到するd since acquiring CJ McCollum in a 中央の-February 貿易（する）.
New Orleans passed the Lakers by （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing them twice in the last week. A 114-111 road victory against the Lakers on Friday night gave the Pelicans a 3-0 sweep of the season series.
They are also 3-0 against Los Angeles' other team as they 完全にする the season series against the Clippers on Sunday.
"It's been a long 旅行 to get to this point, starting the season off the way we did," New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green said.
McCollum 得点する／非難する／２０d 14 of his 32 points in the first ４半期/4分の1 and Brandon Ingram 得点する／非難する／２０d 23 of his 29 in the second half. The Pelicans withstood 38 points from LeBron James and 23 by Anthony Davis in his return from an 18-game absence 予定 to a foot 傷害.
"It was big time," Green said of his team's sixth 勝利，勝つ in eight games. "They threw the kitchen 沈む at us. We just hung in there, and the game was 支援する and 前へ／外へ. We have to 勝利，勝つ games like that."
Los Angeles held a three-point lead with three minutes remaining, but Jonas Valanciunas 得点する／非難する／２０d five points and Ingram 追加するd a basket during a 7-0 run that put New Orleans ahead for good.
"We had some 宙に浮く late in that game," Ingram said. "負かす／撃墜する the stretch, everybody was locked in on the 防御の end, and we seemed 確信して."
The Clippers (38-40), who finish the 正規の／正選手 season with four straight home games, have clinched a プレーオフ 寝台／地位 and are all but locked in at No. 8. The ninth-place Pelicans 追跡する them by 3 1/2 games but 持つ／拘留する the tiebreaker 関わりなく what happens Sunday night.
Los Angeles 始める，決める a franchise 正規の／正選手 season 得点する／非難する／２０ing 記録，記録的な／記録する in a 153-119 victory at Milwaukee on Friday night in which both teams 残り／休憩（する）d most of their starters.
The Clippers played without four starters: Paul George (残り／休憩（する）ing 負傷させるd 肘), Reggie Jackson (残り／休憩（する）), Nicolas Batum (ankle) and Marcus Morris Sr. (膝) as they and the Bucks were coming off overtime games Thursday night.
"We have been in this position before, a lot unfortunately," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "The biggest thing for me is just playing the 権利 way, enjoying, having fun, getting into our second and third 活動／戦闘s. And don't try to do too much because guys are out. I thought that message was 井戸／弁護士席-received by the guys in the locker room. We had to do it by 委員会."
Robert Covington 得点する／非難する／２０d a career-high 43 points and made a franchise-記録，記録的な／記録する 11 3-pointers (in 18 試みる／企てるs) to lead the way.
"The basket just kept getting bigger and bigger," Covington said, "and my rhythm just stayed the same."
Amir Coffey 追加するd a career high of his own with 32 points as the Clippers 発射 60.9 パーセント from the 床に打ち倒す and 23 of 43 on 3-pointers.
--Field Level マスコミ
