The buzzer-beating buzzer-beater sent the Pelicans to their fifth consecutive defeat! Leonard had 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals, Harden had 24+5+14

With Leonard's buzzer-beater, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Pelicans 126-124 in the NBA Cup group stage, giving the Pelicans their fifth consecutive loss. The Pelicans suffered a five-game losing streak at the start, becoming the third team this season to start with a five-game losing streak after the Nets and Pacers. They currently rank last in the Western Conference with 0 wins and 5 losses.

Leonard performed very well today and was very dominant on both offense and defense. He played 36 minutes, made 11 of 16 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals, with a plus-minus value of +6. In the final quarter of the game, Leonard not only scored 14 points, but also completed a buzzer-beater at the last moment. This was the 10th time in Leonard's career that he scored a winning goal in the last 5 seconds of the final quarter or overtime.

Harden was also very impressive today. He played the most 39 minutes on the team, making 8 of 19 shots, 4 of 13 three-pointers, and scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists and 2 steals. At the end of the first half, Harden played 19 minutes, shooting 5 of 11 shots and 3 of 7 three-pointers. He had 16 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists. It is worth mentioning that Harden only sent 1 assist in one game, but today he sent 14 assists.

Derrick Jones Jr. performed well. He played 29 minutes, made 7 of 10 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. Zubac played steadily, playing 33 minutes, making 5 of 7 shots, 4 of 4 free throws, and a double-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Collins played well. He played 19 minutes as a substitute, shooting 6 of 10 from the field, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 1 of 1 free throw, and scored 14 points and 3 rebounds. Bill came back, and his performance was okay. He played 21 minutes, played 3 of 8 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 9 points and 2 assists.

For the Pelicans, Zion was very impressive. He played 33 minutes, 9 of 17 shots, 11 of 13 free throws, and scored 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Zion was out of form in the first half and only scored 4 points, but in the second half he fired up and scored 25 points, but unfortunately he was still beaten by Leonard. Poole felt hot. He played 33 minutes and made 9 of 15 shots, 7 of 13 three-pointers, 5 of 5 free throws, 30 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. He also made 5 turnovers.

Murphy had steady output. He started for 34 minutes, made 6 of 13 shots, 5 of 10 three-pointers, and contributed 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Fells, the No. 7 pick, performed well. He played 29 minutes and made 5 of 14 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. His plus-minus value of +4 was the highest among starters on the team.