By defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Pelicans began their recent successful road trip.
When they play the Clippers in a rematch on Saturday night, they will try to win their homestand.
The Pelicans went 3-1 on the trip, winning 107-88 at Denver on Thursday and six of their last seven games. They will play four straight games at home prior to completing the customary season at Minnesota on April 9.
Before starting its current upswing, New Orleans (39-38) was outside the top ten Western Conference teams. The Pelicans enter Saturday tied for seventh with the Los Angeles Lakers (39-38), only 1 1/2 games behind the Trimmers (41-37) and the Brilliant State Champions (41-37), who are tied for fifth.
By winning the first two meetings with the Clippers, including the 131-110 victory in Los Angeles on March 25, the Pelicans have won the season series.
New Orleans exploited Nikola Jokic’s nonattendance to rule the West-driving Chunks and hold them to their season low in focuses.
Brandon Ingram, a forward for the Pelicans, recorded his second triple-double of his career, scoring a game-high 31 points. His first came seven days earlier, when the Pelicans won their most recent home game against Charlotte.
The Clippers are coming off two games in Memphis that they split. They beat the Grizzlies 141-132 on Wednesday, but Los Angeles’ offense was terrible in a 108-94 loss on Friday.
The Clippers scored a season-high number of points in a game that did not go into overtime on Wednesday, led by Russell Westbrook’s 36 points. Kawhi Leonard did not play. On Friday, Leonard came back and scored 12 points in 18 minutes, but Westbrook only scored four points and had 11 assists as the Clippers lost a 20-point lead in the first half.
The Grizzlies won the game with a 28-4 run that continued into the middle of the second quarter after the Clippers had taken a 34-14 lead late in the first quarter.
In the loss on Friday, Los Angeles was led by Norman Powell, who scored 16 points. Eric Gordon scored 13 points, while Ivica Zubac had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
