Pelicans beat Kings 101-95, gain ground in playoff race

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Eric Gordon scored 21 points, Tyreke Evans nearly had a triple-double and the New Orleans Pelicans gained ground in the playoff race by outlasting the short-handed Sacramento Kings 101-95 on Friday night.

Evans finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists against his former team to power the Pelicans to their fourth straight win. New Orleans led by 18 points in the third quarter and withstood a furious rally from DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings for a huge road victory.

The Pelicans (41-34) pulled within a half-game of Oklahoma City (42-34) for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder lost at Memphis earlier Friday night.

Sacramento dropped its fourth game in a row despite Cousins' second consecutive triple-double. The All-Star center had 24 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists. He also blocked four shots.

Kings forward Rudy Gay sat out for the second straight game recovering from a concussion.

The Pelicans shot 6 of 17 from 3-point range, including a career-high six 3s by Quincy Pondexter, who had 18 points. New Orleans also outrebounded the Kings 50 to 38 behind Anthony Davis, Omir Asik and Evans.

Davis had 20 points and 10 boards. Asik added 11 rebounds.

The Pelicans led 71-53 midway through the third quarter before Cousins and the Kings came roaring back. New Orleans seemed to recover with a quick burst to start the fourth, going ahead 87-78 with 8:45 to play.

But Cousins kept the Kings in the game with spectacular plays on both ends. He grabbed a rebound and found Omri Casspi running down court for a dunk that brought Sacramento within two with about 4 minutes to play.

Evans, the former NBA Rookie of the Year with the Kings, helped the Pelicans pull away when he beat Ray McCallum to the rim and converted a difficult layup before Cousins could rotate over. The basket gave New Orleans a 99-93 lead with 52.3 seconds to play, and New Orleans finished things off on free throws.

Not only did they lose, but the Kings also missed a chance at history they had touted all day.

Sim Bhullar, called up from the NBA Development League's Reno Bighorns on a 10-day contract, did not play. The 7-foot-5 center, born in Canada to Indian parents, is waiting to become the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game.

TIP-INS

Pelicans: New Orleans clinched its first non-losing season since 2010-11, when it finished 46-36. ... The Pelicans finished 3-1 against the Kings this season.

Kings: Cousins became the first Kings player with consecutive triple-doubles since Chris Webber in 2005. ... It was a career-high in assists for Cousins. ... Gay is unlikely to play this weekend. He must pass the league-mandated concussion protocol before he can return.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: At Portland on Saturday.

Kings: Host Utah on Sunday.