Forty-six games into the 2014-15 regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans have built an impressive resume in Western Conference competition, having defeated almost every elite team at least once. One squad they haven't beaten yet is the Los Angeles Clippers, who make their only visit this season to the Smoothie King Center on Friday night.
Within the Southwest Division alone, New Orleans is 2-0 vs. Houston, 2-1 vs. San Antonio, 1-1 vs. Memphis and 1-2 vs. Dallas. All of those teams are virtual locks to reach the West postseason. The Pelicans have also knocked off Oklahoma City twice and Phoenix once.
The Pelicans and Clippers have only faced off once so far in '14-15, with Los Angeles rolling to a 120-100 victory at Staples Center on Dec. 6. In one of the rare times the Pelicans have been routed this season, it was tied at 54 at halftime, but the Clippers surged to a 39-24 edge in the third quarter and went up by 20-plus in the fourth.
Anthony Davis did his best to keep the Pelicans close Dec. 6 by tallying 26 points, but New Orleans hurt its chances by going 8-for-23 from three-point range and missing nine of 25 foul shots. Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points, going 10-for-15 from both the field and the free-throw line.
Los Angeles is on pace for another 50-win season, but has dropped a few rungs on the West pecking order due to the incredibly difficult competition that exists in the conference. The Clippers made a move recently to shake up their bench by acquiring guard Austin Rivers, son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. The younger Rivers spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with New Orleans.
Intriguing matchup: Power forward, Anthony Davis vs. Blake Griffin
Davis and Griffin account for two-thirds of the Western Conference All-Star starting frontcourt (they will be joined Feb. 15 by Memphis' Marc Gasol). The ultra-popular Davis and Griffin were both No. 1 overall draft picks and have more than lived up to their pre-draft hype, becoming bona fide franchise players. Davis is only 21, while Griffin is just 25.