Sunday night featured a matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers. Pels big man Jaxson Hayes made sure he had a say in the proceedings as he came up with a huge rejection on Clippers star Paul George in the second period of action.

Here's Hayes emphatically erasing a PG lay-up attempt (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

Hayes tracked George from all the way out and the Pelicans stud simply did not give George a chance. Hayes knew exactly what PG was going to do in this particular play and he timed his jump to perfection. Unfortunately for George, he ended up on the wrong side of what turned out to be a highlight-reel effort from the 20-year-old Pelicans center.

Hayes has seen a bit of a dip in his production this term, and the arrival of Steven Adams during the offseason has had a lot to do with the same. Right now, Hayes is averaging 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes of action. Nevertheless, it's these kinds of heads-up plays that make him such a significant role player for head coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Pelicans, who reportedly had a number of their players vaccinated for COVID-19, look to score an upset victory against the mighty Clippers on Sunday as New Orleans continues to fight for a postseason spot in a ruthless Western Conference.