NEW ORLEANS -- — Norman Powell scored 35 points, James Harden hit go-ahead free throws with 17.9 seconds left and the Los Angeles Clippers held on to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 116-113 on Monday night.

With the Pelicans — losers of 10 straight and 19 of 20 — trying to tie the game, Harden adroitly fouled rookie center Yves Missi, whose 12-point, nine-rebound and five-block performance was tarnished by his missed free throw that could have tied it at 114 with 4.3 seconds left.

Officials prematurely blew the whistle because they thought Missi's foul shot missed the rim. They called for a jump ball at center court after video review.

Ivica Zubac won the tip back to Harden, who made two more free throws with less than two seconds remaining to complete his 27-point performance. CJ McCollum shot from half court and hit the front rim.

Zubac finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who've won three straight and five of six.

The Pelicans led by as many as 14 points when Trey Murphy's 3 made it 59-45 late in the second quarter. But the Clippers closed the half on an 11-3 run.

Los Angeles trailed most of the game and never led by more than four.

McCollum hit eight 3s and led New Orleans with 33 points. Murphy and Herb Jones each scored 18, while Dejounte Murray had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.

Takeaways

Clippers: Advantages of 40-35 in rebounding, 56-44 in paint points and 21-11 in made free throws allowed Los Angeles to weather one of New Orleans' better performances in the past month.

Pelicans: Hitting a season-best 18 3s in a game still wasn't enough.

Key stat

The Clippers converted 14 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

Up next

The Clippers visit San Antonio on Tuesday night. The Pelicans visit Miami on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Ivica Zubac vs. Yves Missi (James Harden gains possession)	0	0
11:42	Norman Powell misses 6-foot two point shot	0	0
11:40	Dejounte Murray defensive rebound	0	0
11:23	Dejounte Murray makes 13-foot pullup jump shot	2	0
11:04	Derrick Jones Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (Ivica Zubac assists)	2	3
10:54	Trey Murphy III makes 2-foot driving dunk (Herbert Jones assists)	4	3
10:38	Kris Dunn misses 25-foot three point jumper	4	3
10:34	Dejounte Murray defensive rebound	4	3
10:27	Dejounte Murray lost ball turnover (Norman Powell steals)	4	3
10:23	Derrick Jones Jr. bad pass (Dejounte Murray steals)	4	3
10:18	Derrick Jones Jr. shooting foul	4	3
10:18	Herbert Jones makes free throw 1 of 2	5	3
10:18	Herbert Jones makes free throw 2 of 2	6	3
10:04	Ivica Zubac makes 3-foot hook shot	6	5
9:48	Kris Dunn blocks CJ McCollum 's 12-foot driving floating jump shot	6	5
9:48	Pelicans offensive team rebound	6	5
9:40	Herbert Jones misses driving layup	6	5
9:36	Yves Missi offensive rebound	6	5
9:36	Yves Missi misses tip shot	6	5
9:36	Yves Missi offensive rebound	6	5
9:29	CJ McCollum misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	6	5
9:27	Ivica Zubac defensive rebound	6	5
9:20	Norman Powell misses 26-foot three point jumper	6	5
9:17	Yves Missi defensive rebound	6	5
9:04	Herbert Jones makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot	8	5
8:43	Kris Dunn misses 25-foot three point jumper	8	5
8:40	Ivica Zubac offensive rebound	8	5
8:40	Ivica Zubac makes 1-foot dunk	8	7
8:22	Trey Murphy III misses 26-foot three point step back jumpshot	8	7
8:19	Ivica Zubac defensive rebound	8	7
8:13	James Harden offensive foul	8	7
8:13	James Harden turnover	8	7
8:00	Herbert Jones makes 23-foot three point jumper (CJ McCollum assists)	11	7
7:38	Derrick Jones Jr. misses 23-foot three point jumper	11	7
7:34	Yves Missi defensive rebound	11	7
7:29	Trey Murphy III makes driving layup (Herbert Jones assists)	13	7
7:12	James Harden makes 27-foot three point step back jumpshot	13	10
6:56	Trey Murphy III bad pass (Kris Dunn steals)	13	10
6:53	Kris Dunn makes 1-foot dunk	13	12
6:41	CJ McCollum makes 25-foot three pointer	16	12
6:20	James Harden makes 25-foot three pointer	16	15
6:20	Herbert Jones shooting foul	16	15
6:20	Pelicans Full timeout	16	15
6:20	James Harden makes free throw 1 of 1	16	16
6:03	Herbert Jones misses driving floating jump shot	16	16
6:00	Herbert Jones offensive rebound	16	16
5:59	Herbert Jones makes two point shot	18	16
5:36	Ivica Zubac makes 7-foot two point shot (Kris Dunn assists)	18	18
5:17	CJ McCollum misses two point shot	18	18
5:15	Ivica Zubac defensive rebound	18	18
5:12	Norman Powell misses running pullup jump shot	18	18
5:08	Kris Dunn offensive rebound	18	18
5:07	Derrick Jones Jr. makes driving layup (Kris Dunn assists)	18	20
4:45	Dejounte Murray makes 23-foot three point jumper (Trey Murphy III assists)	21	20
4:34	Norman Powell makes two point shot	21	22
4:11	Yves Missi makes 4-foot hook shot (Dejounte Murray assists)	23	22
4:00	Herbert Jones personal foul	23	22
4:00	Jordan Hawkins enters the game for Herbert Jones	23	22
4:00	Javonte Green enters the game for Dejounte Murray	23	22
3:50	Norman Powell misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	23	22
3:45	Yves Missi defensive rebound	23	22
3:30	Jordan Hawkins misses 26-foot three point jumper	23	22
3:27	Pelicans offensive team rebound	23	22
3:27	Amir Coffey enters the game for Kris Dunn	23	22
3:27	Kevin Porter Jr. enters the game for Norman Powell	23	22
3:27	Daniel Theis enters the game for Yves Missi	23	22
3:27	Nicolas Batum enters the game for Ivica Zubac	23	22
3:27	Mo Bamba enters the game for Derrick Jones Jr.	23	22
3:20	CJ McCollum misses 24-foot three point step back jumpshot	23	22
3:17	Kevin Porter Jr. defensive rebound	23	22
2:56	James Harden makes 4-foot two point shot	23	24
2:56	Jordan Hawkins shooting foul	23	24
2:56	Clippers Full timeout	23	24
2:56	James Harden makes free throw 1 of 1	23	25
2:42	Javonte Green makes 24-foot three point jumper (Trey Murphy III assists)	26	25
2:25	James Harden misses layup	26	25
2:24	Mo Bamba offensive rebound	26	25
2:22	James Harden misses 25-foot three point jumper	26	25
2:18	Jordan Hawkins defensive rebound	26	25
2:11	Kevin Porter Jr. personal foul	26	25
2:01	CJ McCollum makes 26-foot three point jumper (Trey Murphy III assists)	29	25
1:45	Kevin Porter Jr. makes 12-foot pullup jump shot	29	27
1:28	Trey Murphy III makes 28-foot three pointer (Javonte Green assists)	32	27
1:11	Amir Coffey makes 9-foot two point shot (Kevin Porter Jr. assists)	32	29
52.1	Kevin Porter Jr. shooting foul	32	29
52.1	Trey Murphy III makes free throw 1 of 2	33	29
52.1	Dejounte Murray enters the game for CJ McCollum	33	29
52.1	Trey Murphy III makes free throw 2 of 2	34	29
40.1	James Harden misses 25-foot three point step back jumpshot	34	29
36.2	Dejounte Murray defensive rebound	34	29
32.0	Dejounte Murray misses 25-foot three point shot	34	29
28.1	James Harden defensive rebound	34	29
27.1	James Harden lost ball turnover (Javonte Green steals)	34	29
10.1	Trey Murphy III misses 25-foot three point jumper	34	29
6.2	Amir Coffey defensive rebound	34	29
3.0	Trey Murphy III shooting foul	34	29
3.0	Amir Coffey makes free throw 1 of 2	34	30
3.0	Amir Coffey makes free throw 2 of 2	34	31
0.0	Jordan Hawkins makes 28-foot three pointer	37	31
0.0	(00:00) [Clippers] REF-INITIATED REVIEW (REPLAY SUPPORTS CALL)	37	31
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	37	31

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Smoothie King Center

New Orleans, LA

Date & Time

1:00 AM, December 31, 2024

Coverage

NBA League Pass, GCSEN, FanDuel SN SoCal

Attendance

17,303

Referees

Mitchell Ervin, Natalie Sago, Brandon Schwab

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
LA Lakers	35	24	.593	W1
Phoenix	34	26	.567	W1
Golden State	31	29	.517	L1
LA Clippers	27	31	.466	L3
Sacramento	14	47	.230	W1

2025-26 Southwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
San Antonio	43	16	.729	W11
Houston	37	22	.627	L1
Memphis	22	36	.379	W1
Dallas	21	38	.356	L2
New Orleans	19	42	.311	W4

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Powell and Harden lift the Clippers to a 116-113 comeback victory over the skidding Pelicans

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