NEW ORLEANS — The Pelicans didn’t need style points. They needed stops, poise, and a finish. They got all three Friday night at Smoothie King Center, locking in defensively over the final 12 minutes to beat the Clippers 105-99.

In a game that stayed tight through three quarters — tied 87-87 after both teams posted 32 in the third — New Orleans created separation with its cleanest stretch of the night. The Pelicans held Los Angeles to 15 points in the fourth and won the quarter 18-15 to close it out.

How the game swung

The margin was thin all night. New Orleans led 28-26 after one and 55-52 at halftime, but the Clippers answered with their best push out of the break. Los Angeles matched New Orleans shot-for-shot in the third, turning it into a track meet that ended dead even, 87-87.

The difference came late. With the game still in the balance, New Orleans’ defense tightened and the pace slowed. The Clippers, who scored 32 in the third, managed just 15 in the fourth — their lowest quarter of the night — and couldn’t generate enough clean offense to steal it.

By the numbers

Fourth-quarter control

New Orleans won the fourth quarter 18-15, the decisive edge in a six-point game. The Pelicans’ ability to keep Los Angeles off the scoreboard late was the defining trait of the win.

Ball movement: slight edge, same story

The teams were nearly identical in assist volume, with New Orleans finishing with 21 assists to the Clippers’ 20. In a game that turned into a half-court grind late, one extra layer of connectivity mattered — and the Pelicans’ execution held up in the closing minutes.

Context and what it means

The win continued a strong recent run for New Orleans (25-46, coming in with a WWWLW form line), and it came against a Clippers team that entered searching for traction (34-36, LLLLW). For the Pelicans, the formula was clear: keep it close, survive the third-quarter surge, then win the game with defense and composure in the fourth.

For Los Angeles, the loss was a familiar script — enough offense to stay in it for three quarters, then a stalled finish. A 15-point fourth quarter isn’t going to travel well, especially in a game where the margins were always going to be possession-by-possession.