Los Angeles @ New Orleans preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2019 ) New Orleans 109, L.A. Clippers 134

The New Orleans Pelicans are anxiously awaiting the debut of rookie forward Zion Williamson while also proving that they won't need to look to him as a savior when he finally takes the floor. The Pelicans will play at least one more game without Williamson and try to pick up an 11th win in 15 games when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Williamson (knee) is scheduled to make his debut on Wednesday at home against the San Antonio Spurs and will join a team that is clearly led by small forward Brandon Ingram, who scored a career-high 49 points as New Orleans squeezed out a 138-132 overtime victory over the Jazz on Thursday, ending Utah's 10-game winning streak. "To be honest with you, it doesn't surprise me," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters of Ingram. "The way he works, the way he has gotten better and worked on his craft - sooner or later, he was going to have a game like this. I thought he did everything we asked him to do. Took good shots. Found (forward Derrick Favors) under the basket for a couple of dunks. He just played a terrific game." The Clippers are winners of six of their last eight and found their form defensively in the last two games, holding the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic to an average of 99 points. Los Angeles held the Magic to 39.1 percent from the floor on Thursday and rode another big offensive performance from Kawhi Leonard to a 122-95 victory.

TIME: 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC, TSN1

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (29-13): Leonard scored 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting on Thursday - 4-of-7 from beyond the arc - and is averaging 35.3 points over the last four contests. "Just making shots," Leonard explained to reporters. "I think my teammates are being aggressive getting me open looks as well, just creating a chain reaction. We're all playing hard on defense and we're able to get out in transition." Leonard's performance against the Magic helped the team overcome Lou Williams slumping to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, ending a streak of six straight games scoring 20 or more points.

ABOUT THE PELICANS (16-26): New Orleans sat at 6-22 after an overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 17 that capped a 13-game slide but has since rallied despite injuries that have sidelined Ingram, guards Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick and forward Derrick Favors. "It's great to see," Ingram, who went 15-of-25 from the floor and added eight rebounds and six assists in 41 minutes on Thursday after sitting out a win at Detroit on Monday to rest a sore knee, told reporters. "We see it in practice, and we see it every single day in the attitudes the guys have. They want to do everything right. They want to come in and be effective for the basketball team. It's just showing in our work." Favors added 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds in Thursday's triumph after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Redick (hamstring) and Holiday (elbow) are both day-to-day.

2. Clippers SF Paul George (hamstring) missed the last four games but is expected to travel with the team.

3. The teams split the first two meetings, with New Orleans earning a 132-127 home win on Nov. 14 behind 20 points and 20 rebounds from Favors.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 123, Clippers 117