Pelicans topple Spurs to clinch 1st playoff berth in 4 years; Thunder eliminated

The New Orleans Pelicans needed a win to get in, and the circumstances couldn't have been much less forgiving.

They were facing the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who happened to be the hottest team in the NBA, rolling into the Bayou on an 11-game win streak. 

The Spurs had plenty to play for, too, with a chance to either lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference or tumble all the way to No. 6. 

But the Pelicans came storming out of the gate, opening up a 20-point, first-half lead, then weathered the inevitable Spurs comeback to win 108-103 and punch their ticket to the postseason for the first time since the departure of Chris Paul four years ago. 

In the most pressure-packed game of his young pro career, Anthony Davis was cool as a cucumber. He wrought havoc at both ends of the floor; challenging shots and blowing up pick-and-rolls at one end, hitting floaters and driving layups and finishing with contact at the other. He played 43 minutes and finished with a stat line that no longer even seems to stand out when Davis does it: 31 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, three blocks. 

Tyreke Evans had a huge game of his own, chipping in 19 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), four rebounds, 11 assists and three steals, all without a single turnover. And the surprise presence of Jrue Holiday, who missed 41 games with a stress reaction before returning last week, was a major boon. Holiday had 11 points and four assists off the bench and contributed some scrappy perimeter defense. 

The Pelicans' gain was the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss. 

Russell Westbrook's historic season came to a close with another epic performance, in which he locked up the NBA scoring title, but his team's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves went for naught. 

The Thunder and Pelicans finished with identical 45-37 records, but the Pelicans had the tiebreaker thanks to a 3-1 head-to-head record. In other words, thanks to this. 

The Pelicans will face the Golden State Warriors in Round 1 of the playoffs.