Short-handed Clippers can’t outlast Pelicans in 4th straight loss

NEW ORLEANS — The Clippers were short on manpower Thursday night against a team that has found some late-season life.

Trey Murphy III scored 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans extended their home winning streak to seven games with a 105-99 victory over the short-handed Clippers, who lost their fourth game in a row.

Saddiq Bey had 20 points, Zion Williamson scored 15 and Yves Missi added 11 points with 11 rebounds for the Pelicans (25-46), who swept the two-game set against the Clippers after 124-109 win, also at home, on Wednesday night.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 22 points and John Collins added 18 with eight rebounds for the Clippers, whose four-game losing streak is their longest since a five-game skid in December. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points and Isiah Jackson had 13.

The Clippers (34-36) were without their top three scorers in star forward Kawhi Leonard (ankle), point guard Darius Garland (toe) and Bennedict Mathurin (toe). Leonard, who entered as the sixth-leading scorer in the NBA at 28.2 points per game, has missed two of the past three contests. He had 25 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday’s game.

The Clippers led by two late in the third quarter before the Pelicans grabbed an 87-84 advantage heading into the fourth.

A Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 6:32 remaining gave the Clippers their largest lead of the second half to that point at 92-89. The Clippers still led 94-91 after a Collins floater, but the Pelicans regained control with a 9-0 run for a 100-94 lead with 4:14 remaining in a surge that included two 3-pointers from Murphy.

After Clippers center Brook Lopez missed a pair of free throws, a Williamson dunk and two free throws from Murphy put New Orleans up 104-97 with 2:11 left as the Pelicans closed the game on a 14-5 run.

Despite missing their main scoring options, the Clippers were competitive early, with the Pelicans leading 55-52 at halftime. Murphy scored 19 points for New Orleans, which shot 52.5% over the first two quarters. Jones and Collins each had 12 points at the break for the visitors.

After falling 27 games under .500 after the All-Star break, New Orleans is 10-4 since Feb. 21.

Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray was held out to rest as part of his comeback from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He had 17 points and a season-high 11 assists while playing 30 minutes on Wednesday night – his ninth game since making his season debut last month.

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The Clippers play at Dallas on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.