A recent surge has the New Orleans Pelicans back in the Western Conference playoff hunt.
A controversial call and a friendly rim helped them leap past the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Tyreke Evans split a pair of go-ahead free throws with 17 seconds left and the Pelicans hung on for a 103-100 win to vault into the eighth seed in the West.
New Orleans headed into Tuesday's contest with the Warriors a half game behind Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the West, but the Thunder were blown out by San Antonio.
Evans attempted a crossover at half court and appeared to trip over his own feet, but a flabbergasted Andre Iguodala was assessed with a foul.
Stephen Curry's floater in the paint at the other end didn't drop and Anthony Davis sunk a pair of foul shots for a three-point cushion.
Curry's right wing 3-pointer at the buzzer rattled in and out. He initially tried to draw a foul on Dante Cunningham, pump faking and leaning into him. No foul was called, however. Curry momentarily lost control of the ball before regaining it, but missed the trey at the horn.
Evans finished with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, while Davis added 29 points, 10 boards and four blocks for the Pelicans, who have won five of their last six games.
[SportsNetwork.com]
