PREVIEW: LA Clippers (2-1) battle Davis & Pelicans in New Orleans (4:30p, FSW)
4:30P: WATCH ON FOX SPORTS APP
Both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers are off to surprisingly strong starts, which in each case includes a win over Houston, the team that led the Western Conference in wins last season.
The Pelicans (2-0) overpowered the Rockets in Houston 131-112 on opening night behind double-double performances by Anthony Davis (32 points, 16 rebounds) and Nikola Mirotic (30 points, 10 rebounds).
The Clippers (2-1), meanwhile, took a defensive approach to save a 115-112 home win over the Rockets on Sunday night, denying James Harden on Houston's final possession to preserve a three-point win.
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The Clippers managed a split at New Orleans last season, winning in January behind a combined 39 points and 31 rebounds from Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Neither is still with Los Angeles, with Griffin having been dealt to Detroit the day after the win at New Orleans, while Jordan left as a free agent over the summer.
Another player who will not be on hand Tuesday night -- center DeMarcus Cousins -- was a difference-maker in the Pelicans' one home win over the Clippers last season. He had 35 points and 15 rebounds in the November game.
Cousins, who ruptured his Achilles and missed the final three meetings with Los Angeles last season, has since moved on to Golden State as a free agent.
The Clippers have opened with three straight at home, all against projected Western playoff contenders -- Denver, Oklahoma City and Houston.
They've managed a winning record despite getting little offensively from guard Avery Bradley, who has totaled just 15 points in the three games, shooting just 7-for-23 (30.4 percent) overall and 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) on 3-pointers.
But Bradley has been a big factor defensively, helping the Clippers limit high-powered opposing guards Jamal Murray, Dennis Schroder and Harden to a combined 16-for-53 shooting (30.2 percent).
"Where we struggled was defensively last year," noted Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who has replaced his son Austin at the point with Patrick Beverley. "So that's our target."
The Pelicans shot 47.1 percent in winning three of four, including both games in Los Angeles, against the Clippers last season.
