Los Angeles Clippers Heavy Favorite To Win Over New Orleans Pelicans

Kawhi Leonard LA Clippers — The Los Angeles Clippers will bank on Kawhi Leonard anew to lead them with Paul George out with an injury. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Clippers will go for back-to-back wins against a streaking Pelicans quintet
Brandon Ingram is expected to be a marked man when the Pels visit the Clips Saturday
Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook need to play well for the Clips to get their second straight win

The Los Angeles Clippers will try to snatch another win at home Saturday when they host the streaking New Orleans Pelicans at the Crypto.com Arena.

The Clippers are installed as -5 favorites to prevail over the Pelicans and register their 40th win of the season. The moneyline set for this encounter is -217 for Los Angeles and +165 for New Orleans, according to Oddsshark.com.

The two teams have met only once so far this season, with the Pelicans winning, 112-91, back in October 2022.

The Clips are coming off a 127-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Kawhi Leonard leading the charge Thursday.

Leonard finished with a game-high 32 points, six rebounds and four assists in that victory. Backing him up was Russell Westbrook, who had 24 points and seven assists.

Also stepping up for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was Bones Hyland, who came off the bench to add 16 points that included four triples in the team's second-half run.

"Guys who haven't been playing like myself, just come in and be the guy who provides the spark," Hyland said via the Los Angeles Times. "[Paul George] went down, it's a sad moment, but PG will be back out there with us, but we got to handle business on the floor and keep tallying wins for PG."

For the Pels, Brandon Ingram is expected to be the man leading the way for his team.

In their last win over the Charlotte Hornets, 115-96, Ingram unleashed a triple-double performance of 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Backing him up were Jonas Valanciunas and Chris McCollum, who finished with 20 points each.

"I just wanted to set the tone," the 25-year-old forward said, according to a report by ESPN. "These games are important for us to be in the postseason. I'm just thinking that every possession counts on offense and defense, and I had to have a sense of urgency."

Ingram is, however, expected to find the going rough against a talented Clippers quintet.

The Clippers and the Pelicans will tangle Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena with game time set for 10:30 p.m. EDT. It will be telecast over BSNO and BSSC, with live streaming also available via FuboTV.