Shortly after Zion Williamson's second triple-double in two weeks, he was asked whether he might be in the best shape of his career, and if he'd really shed as many as 20 pounds from his listed weight of 284.

On Tuesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that saw its playoff hopes go up in smoke long ago, played spoiler to the Los Angeles Clippers’ aspirations of making it to the playoffs outright as a top-six seed in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 18-48. New Orleans has dealt with multiple injuries all season to every member of its rotation, most notably from guard Dejounte Murray, who only played 31 games this season before he ruptured his right Achilles tendon, which ended his season on Jan. 31.