NBA: New Orleans shocks Clippers with massive comeback win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The New Orleans Pelicans came back from 18 points down to frustrate the Los Angeles Clippers, 124-109, during their Western Conference showdown in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 19, 2026.

Leaning on a balanced offensive attack from Saddiq Bey, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans staged a 29-point turnaround in the last three quarters to pull off the impressive dub at home.

A shaky start doomed New Orleans in the first 12 minutes of action after receiving a scoring clinic from Kawhi Leonard, who was unstoppable with his efficient midrange jumpers.

Leonard, alongside John Collins and Darius Garland, helped the Clippers jump to a commanding 18-point lead and looked poised to halt their two-game NBA losing streak.

However, when the second quarter kicked off, Bey answered the call for New Orleans after hitting much-needed 3-pointers, backstopped by Williamson’s aggressiveness in getting to the hole, which put the whole Clippers frontcourt rotation in foul trouble.

Due to the constant rotation changes by Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, LA never regained its first-quarter rhythm and struggled to find its mark on the floor.

To make things worse for LA, Murphy and Murray steered the Pelicans to a momentum-boosting 11-0 start in the third frame, which ballooned their biggest lead of the ballgame to as much as 20 points.

After New Orleans tasted the double-digit cushion, James Borrego’s wards smelled blood and amped up the pressure in the final canto, limiting the Clippers to just eight points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

It was then pretty much over for LA when it failed to inch closer than a 10- to 12-point margin, en route to New Orleans’ second consecutive victory in three days.

Bey shot the lights out for the Pelicans and led the squad with 25 points on an efficient 5-of-10 shooting from downtown, alongside five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The 1-2 punch of Murphy and Murray chipped in 23 and 17 markers, respectively, while Williamson delivered 14 points, four boards and three dimes.

On the other hand, the Clippers received another outstanding performance from Leonard, who detonated for 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, but his heroics weren’t enough to help LA get out of its ongoing slump.