12-17-2019, 06:03 AM
New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Eric Gordon scored a season-high 28 points to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a 108-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Ryan Anderson netted 24 points and went 5-of-11 from 3-point range, while Alexis Ajinca supplied 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Tyreke Evans had 11 points and 12 assists for the Pelicans, who have won five of their last six games. Chris Paul finished with 24 points, Blake Griffin scored 19 and DeAndre Jordan contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who had their six-game winning streak come to an end. New Orleans opened the second half on an 11-2 run that contained two Gordon treys. Anderson scored 14 points during the third quarter as New Orleans led 88-76 heading into the final stanza. The Clippers scored six straight points early in the fourth, but Ajincas dunk and three-point play restored the Pelicans lead to 95-82 with 7:38 to go. Paul scored 10 points during a 12-0 swing to get Los Angeles within 95-94 with 5:07 remaining. With under two minutes to play, Gordon knocked down a turnaround fadeaway shot and Dante Cunningham threw down a dunk to give the Pelicans a six-point lead and seal the win. Quincy Pondexter made a jumper and a 3-pointer before Jamal Crawford beat the buzzer with a bank shot as the Pelicans led 28-26 after the first quarter. Anderson bookended a 9-2 spurt with treys to give New Orleans a 47-41 with 4:24 to play in the first half, but Griffin responded with four points during an 8-0 run to put the Clippers in front. After New Orleans went ahead on a pair of Gordon free throws with under a minute to play, Paul drove through the lane for a layup with 3.2 seconds left and Los Angeles held a 54-53 advantage at the break. Game Notes Pelicans forward Anthony Davis sat out due to a groin strain ... Clippers guard JJ Redick returned after missing Wednesdays game with back spasms and scored 12 points ...The Pelicans shot 52 percent from 3-point range, while the Clippers shot just 25 percent ...The two teams will meet again on March 22 in Los Angeles. USWNT Jerseys 2021 .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. USWNT Pro Shop . Levante, which had lost five straight including a Copa del Rey game last weekend, fell behind at its Ciutat de Valencia stadium when Ionut Sapanura opened the scoring for Elche in the 26th minute. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ . For Bergevin, the best pick is the 30th — which traditionally goes to the Stanley Cup winner. "Thats our goal. Custom USWNT Jerseys . The victory strengthened Liverpools position in the top four after Tottenham lost 1-0 at Norwich in the days late kickoff, cutting the north London club six points adrift of fourth place and the final Champions League slot for next season. Cheap USWNT Jerseys . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time. NEW YORK -- The Rangers bought out the contract of veteran forward Brad Richards on Friday, creating much-needed salary-cap space and parting ways with New Yorks de facto captain one week after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup finals. Both the Rangers and Richards agent, Pat Morris, confirmed the move. "Tough last few days," Richards said in a statement released by the team. "I loved being a Ranger and living in New York and playing at MSG in front of great fans. Ive met many new friends, excellent teammates and staff, and I have memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. "(General manager) Glen Sather, the management and owner, Mr. Dolan, are all class acts. I want to thank them for letting me be a part of New York life and the Rangers family. With this decision finalized, I can now look forward to starting the next chapter in my career." The 34-year-old Richards had six years remaining on the nine-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2011, and this move will remove his $6.67 million salary-cap charge. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Richards will receive two-thirds of the remaining money to be paid out over 12 years -- a total of $12.6 million. Richards will also be paid $8 million in signing bonuses over the next three seasons. He didnt have to clear waivers before the buyout because his contract had a no-movement clause. The Rangers used their second and final compliance buyout on Richards after using the first on former defenceman Wade Redden last year. They had to be used before July 1. "We would like to thank Brad for everything he has done for our team on and off the ice during his time here," Sather said in a statement. "This was an extremely difficult decision to make because of how much respect I have for him. "Brads leadership and guidance for our young players was invaluable to the organization. We are grateful to have had the professionalism and experience he brought as an example for our team to folllow.dddddddddddd Brad has been a very good player for us and an even better person. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours." New York has numerous unrestricted and restricted free agents this summer, and will need as much cap space as possible to bring back key players and perhaps add others on the market. "Were going to work on putting a good team on the ice, but every year is different," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said Monday when the Rangers cleaned out their lockers. "Next years team is going to be different, and youve got to go through the same process. Its going to be a challenge to make the playoffs, and then you take it one series at a time." Richards was demoted to the fourth line in the finals against Los Angeles. "I am a big fan of Brad Richards," Vigneault said. "He is a classy, classy individual. If you look at Brads overall season he had a real good year. "I am very happy with what he brought to the table. A veteran player from Day One that was a real good extension of the coaching staff in the dressing room. He should walk away from this season very pleased with how he played and how he contributed to our team." Richards had 20 goals and 31 assists in 82 games this season -- the lowest point-per-game average of his career -- and added five goals and seven assists in New Yorks 25 post-season games. He had only one assist in the five-game finals loss to the Kings. Richards took on a bigger leadership role after captain Ryan Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay for St. Louis in March. His voice carried in the room even as his play declined as the playoff run got deeper. In 210 regular-season games with the Rangers, Richards had 56 goals and 95 assists. He was benched in last years post-season by former coach John Tortorella during New Yorks second-round loss to Boston. Richards earned his contract when he hit the free-agent market after having 28 goals and 77 points during the 2010-11 season with Dallas. ' ' '