3 takeaways from New Orleans Pelicans' triumph over the LA Clippers

The New Orleans Pelicans cruised to an easy road victory over the LA Clippers (112-91). They remain close to the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

After a hard-fought battle in the first half (52-54), the Pelicans started the third quarter on a 10-0 run (62-54) and never looked back. They outscored the Clippers 60-39 in the second half and cruised to the victory.

The Pelicans improved to 4-2 in the standings, whereas the Clippers dropped their fourth straight and fell to 2-4.

That said, here are three takeaways from Sunday’s big matchup:

#1 - A Healthy Zion Williamson makes the New Orleans Pelicans a title contender

Zion Williamson is finally back, and he is healthy. His presence makes the New Orleans Pelicans a title contender. In his first games of the season, the star big man has shown how crucial his game is to the team's success.

Against the Clippers on Sunday, he flirted with the triple-double, going for 21 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high seven assists on 9/17 shooting. He was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint and dominated the Clippers' frontline.

"Unless I'm truly injured, I'm going to be playing the game of basketball. That's just how I am," Williamson said, after missing the last two games with a right hip and lower back contusion.

''When he touches the ball, he makes the right play, whether it's to score for himself, finding his teammates or kicking it out, setting screens, continuing to move,'' Pelican's coach Willie Green said afterward, via NBA.com. ''He was fantastic.''

Zion Williamson has appeared in four of the New Orleans Pelicans' first six games and is averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Utah Jazz v New Orleans Pelicans

#2 - LA Clippers seek to build winning mentality after rough start

Following a 2-0 start, the LA Clippers have lost their last four games, dropping to 2-4 in the table. Despite being title contenders, they are playing poor basketball on both ends.

Over their four-game losing streak, they have scored just 97.5 points per game, while allowing their opponents to score 112.5 points.

''We just got to do some things better,'' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''We're not a very good basketball team now, and we got to change that.''

The Clippers seek to build some identity and improve their numbers, as they have the worst offense in the league with just 100.7 points per game.

“Right now I think we are just showing up and thinking we can win because of the talent we have, because of all the things we have on this team,” Marcus Morris Sr., who had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, said, via Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “That’s just not the case.

New Orleans Pelicans v Los Angeles Clippers - Play-In Tournament

#3 - Paul George has to show up for the Clippers after a slow start

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are the LA Clippers' super duo. The franchise is relying on them to win the championship this year.

Yet, they are both off to a slow start and need to show up and help the team turn things around quickly.

Leonard has appeared in only the first two games of the season, coming off the bench and attempting to find his rhythm.

He has missed the last four games due to stiffness in his surgically-repaired knee and will also be out Monday versus the Houston Rockets. Hence, the burden is on Paul George to carry the team and get it back on track.

“It starts with me. I was poor tonight, been poor the past couple games. I’ll get it together. I’m committed to my work, I’m committed to this team succeeding. It starts with me, I got to get better, I got to do better," George said afterwards, via Tomer Azarly of Clutchpoints. "But then past that, we’ve got to collectively be a better team and, again, have an identity out there on that court.”

George spent 28 minutes on the floor and was limited to just 14 points, on 5/19 shooting and 2/8 from beyond the arc. The All-Star forward is just 9-of-35 (25.7 percent) on threes this season, while shooting at just 38.8 percent from the field.

“We’ve still got a job to do. As one of the leaders of this team, we still got a job to do regardless of who’s playing, who’s not playing," Paul George noted. "We’re just not doing what we need to do, point blank, period."

“I think we just got to raise the intensity. I think from an intense level, again, it comes down to identity, who we’re gonna be, and with that we’ve got to raise the intensity on both sides," he added, per Tomer Azarly of Clutchpoints.

The LA Clippers now have a good chance of recovering as they will play a two-game series against the Houston Rockets (1-5) on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

For their part, the New Orleans Pelicans will remain in Los Angeles as they take on the Lakers (1-5) on Wednesday.