“It’s just time to lock into each and every game and see what we could do,” Kawhi Leonard instructed his team after winning against the Knicks. And they displayed some fight tonight. The Los Angeles Clippers crawled from being down 21 in hopes of improving their playoff positioning. However, the night belonged to the New Orleans Pelicans. Powered by a triple-double from ace Zion Williamson, the Pels controlled the game for the majority of the night. The Clippers dropped their record, further making it difficult to acquire the sixth seed in the West. But they weren’t necessarily outplayed tonight.
The Pelicans just had way too much heart. They might rank second last in the West, but tonight the team showcased a strong desire to win the game. And aside from their effort and high activity, that was visible in how they attacked the glass.
Standing head coach Brian Shaw of the Clippers knew before coming in that the young team is motivated and one that will always exude determination. That was the exact recipe that led to the Clippers’ downfall tonight. “We talked about this team being hungry. Young and hungry and we got to respect them as professionals regardless of what their record is you know or anything like that. And I thought that they came out and they were the hungrier team tonight right from the start and that’s the difference in the game,” Shaw shared.
Mar 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) loses the ball off his knee while going for the ball with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15), guard Kris Dunn (8), and guard Trey Murphy III (25), during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Their vigor in the game was more than just quality shot-making. The Pelicans missed some of their open opportunities. However, you never give up on a play until the other team gets the ball. And New Orleans didn’t, generating 23 second-chance points. Compiled with some vital turnovers, that’s where Shaw believes the game turned around.
“It was untimely turnovers, their second chance points. They got 23 second-chance points. That’s been one of the things that I talked about earlier that’s kind of been one of our Achilles heels… We got to do a better job on the defensive boards and limiting teams to one shot because we do a good job on the initial possession making them you know we force a miss. They get an offensive rebound and then they were spraying it out and their guys were shooting the ball from the three-point line with confidence,” the Clippers head coach added.
The flurry of second-chance opportunities played a big role in the Pelicans preserving their position during the game. But Shaw didn’t just blame his players. He also offered some self-criticism as the Clippers did open up a window to capitalize.
Shaw would only change one thing about tonight
As James Harden has done so many times this season, he stepped up for the Clippers again tonight. Scoring 25 with 17 assists, the Beard managed the Clippers’ offense with great precision. And one of his vital moments came with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. A patented step-back three gave the LA side their first lead of the night.
But the Pelicans responded with a game-changing run. They responded with four threes in a matter of two minutes. Two of them were born from offensive rebounds, the kryptonite for the Clippers today. But while the Clippers arguably held the momentum prior to the sequence, Brian Shaw believes he could have restored order with one simple move.
“If I critique myself on tonight’s game I probably should have called a timeout sooner. Once we had got in the lead and they came down and they hit you know consecutive threes I probably should have called the timeout right there you know and nipped it in the bud,” he said about his performance.
Shaw never did call the timeout. The Pelicans would end the quarter with an eight-point lead, carrying the rhythm into the last quarter. However, as someone who doesn’t regularly coach, it’s a new role for Shaw. With Lue out with a back injury, the standing head coach has done a great job of keeping the Clippers competitive through these games.
His usual job only involves making tweaks and observing for Ty Lue’s tactics work out. Now, he is all of a sudden responsible for organizing the shape of the team. It’s a huge change, especially considering the lack of preparation Shaw has had in such a role. But not only is he embracing the stage, but the Clippers assistant coach is open to finding flaws and learning from his mistakes.
It’s still unsure how long he will be at the helm. However, the Clippers have played great basketball under his leadership thus far. With more experience and match situations, Shaw’s instincts will also grow.
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