The New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder are still in a tight race for the eighth and final 2015 NBA Playoff spot in the Western Conference after both teams scored victories on Friday night.
The Pelicans are still in eighth place in the Western Conference over the Thunder despite having a similar 43-36 record. The Pelicans will take the last ticket to the postseason if they end up having identical records because New Orleans won in three of their four regular-season meetings this season.
New Orleans maintained their hold of the final spot in the West after scoring a 90-75 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the Smoothie King Center in Louisiana.
All-Star forward Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists, while Eric Gordon added 15 points. Tyreke Evans finished with 14 points and six assists, while Dante Cunningham and Norris Cole added 12 points apiece for New Orleans.
The Pelicans managed to score a convincing win despite missing Davis for almost half of the game when he was hit by an elbow below the chin. He was brought to the locker room holding on to his throat before returning in the fourth quarter to score six points in the final 11 minutes of the match.
On the other hand, the injury-riddled OKC Thunder kept their playoff hopes alive after scoring a 116-103 win against the Sacramento Kings at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
As expected, the Thunder relied on Russell Westbrook once again as the superstar point guard finished with 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting to go along with 10 assists and five rebounds.
Without superstar Kevin Durant and defensive anchor Serge Ibaka, Westbrook has been carrying the load for the Thunder, but he got much need support from his teammates on Friday night.
Starting center Enes Kanter finished with 25 points and six rebounds, while Dion Waiters racked up 22 points and six rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals for the Thunder.
Both the Thunder and Pelicans have three games remaining in the regular season, but New Orleans have tougher assignments compared to Oklahoma City.
The Pelicans will face the Houston Rockets on Sunday before going up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The will finish the regular season against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, who are also expected to go all out as they are in a tight battle for the second spot in the Western Conference.
The Thunder will go up against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Portland Trail Blazers on Monday before closing out the regular season against the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
