LA Clippers look to strengthen play off plans as they meet struggling New Orleans Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS – The Los Angeles Clippers will look to strengthen their National Basketball Association (NBA) post-season position when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on March 11 (March 12, Singapore time).

The Clippers, who lost six of their first seven games after the All-Star break, completed a sweep of a three-game homestand when they beat the Sacramento Kings 111-110 in overtime on March 9.

As the current No. 8 seeds in the Western Conference and several games ahead of the No. 11 Phoenix Suns, they are in good shape to make the play-in tournament and are within striking distance of the top-six spots.

“We needed the (Sacramento) win,” centre Ivica Zubac said. “We were down seven with two minutes to go and came back, go to overtime, burning out, and finish like that, win like that – we needed it. We needed some positivity.”

The manner of their victory should give them hope against the Pelicans.

The Clippers used a 7-0 run in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter to force the extra period.

Trailing by one point in overtime, Kawhi Leonard then drove into the lane and tossed up a shot that bounced around the rim before trickling through the net to produce the game’s 23rd lead change as time expired.

It proved that the Clippers had the will to fight till the end in a roller-coaster game.

“We need these wins down the stretch,” Leonard said. “I think this will help us be a better team moving forward.”

During the winning streak, James Harden and Leonard have played to their level as perennial All-Stars.

In particular, Harden had 50 points in a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons to start the homestand and he narrowly missed a triple-double against the Kings, finishing with 29 points,