NEW ORLEANS _ Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams provided the offense and the Clippers picked up their defense in the fourth quarter to pull out a 133-130 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday afternoon at Smoothie King Center.
The Clippers won the game after J.J. Redick missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired. They held the Pelicans to 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Leonard finished with 39 points, six rebounds and six assists. He now has scored 30 or more points in five consecutive games, the longest such feat in franchise history since World B. Free had an 11-game streak from Jan. 2 to Jan. 23 in 1980.
Williams contributed 32 points, five assists and four rebounds. He shot 7 for 16 from the field, including 4 for 7 from deep, and made 14 of 15 free throws.
It was the eighth time this season the Clippers have scored at least 130 points in a game, which ties them for first in the NBA. It also tied the franchise record for most 130-plus games in a single season.
Montrezl Harrell had scored off a pass from Leonard with 4 minutes 13 seconds left in the third quarter. Harrell, who had been limping after he had scored, then intentionally fouled Brandon Ingram with 3:17 left in the quarter.
Harrell went to the Clippers' bench for a while before he headed to the locker room, but he returned to play later in the fourth quarter and completed his tremendous effort with 24 points. He made nine of his 11 shots from the field, although he missed 4 of 10 free throws.
Lonzo Ball had a triple-double of 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans. He made 7 of 16 shots from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. He also had two steals and one blocked shot as well as six turnovers.
Ingram finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Derrick Favors made all 10 of his shots from the field to finish with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Clippers played the game missing two starters. Paul George was back in Los Angeles nursing a strained left hamstring and Maurice Harkless was sidelined because of a sore lower back.
The hope for the Clippers is that George, who missed his fifth consecutive game, gets healthy enough to join them on the rest of their five-game trip, which includes stops in Dallas, Atlanta and Miami before concluding Jan. 26 in Orlando.
"He's coming along," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of George. "Hopefully at some point he'll join us on the trip, but right now we just felt it'd be better for him to stay back and just keep getting treatment."
