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Pelicans continue push, overcome Cousins, Kings

Apr 4, 2015 - 6:03 AM Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The New Orleans Pelicans kept their playoff push going with a second win over the Sacramento Kings in eight days.

Things are about to get a lot tougher.

Tyreke Evans came within one assist of a triple-double and Anthony Davis had 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Pelicans to a 101-95 win over the DeMarcus Cousins and Kings on Friday night.

The Pelicans led for the final 43 1/2 minutes but needed to hold on down the stretch for their fourth consecutive victory.

They are a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with seven games remaining, including five against teams that have already locked up postseason berths.

Evans had 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and Eric Gordon led New Orleans with 21 points. Quincy Pondexter added 18 points and Norris Cole scored 10 off the bench.

The Pelicans shot just 39 percent from the floor overall, but were much better from 3-point range, hitting 14 of their 29 attempts, with Pondexter knocking down a career-high six.

"That gave us a bit of a buffer," said Pelicans coach Monty Williams. "It opened up the floor for us and allowed us to get to the basket later."

Cousins put up 24 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists for his second consecutive triple-double, becoming the first Kings player to do that since Chris Webber in the 2004-05 season.

Ben McLemore and Omri Casspi each added 17 points and Ray McCallum scored 14 for the Kings, who have dropped four in a row on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

"In the fourth quarter we missed open shots that could have gotten us over the hump," said Kings coach George Karl.

Pondexter scored 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter, including a trio of 3-pointers during an 18-4 run that gave the Pelicans a 14-point lead.

New Orleans pushed its eight-point lead entering the second quarter back up to 14 at halftime and led by 18 on Davis' dunk midway through the third quarter.

The Kings scored 13 in a row to pull within two points and were down just three entering the fourth. They trailed by two after Casspi's dunk with 4:14 remaining but Gordon made a pair of free throws and Davis buried a shot to push New Orleans' advantage to six and it was a two-possession game for all but one possession after that.

Game Notes

The Kings signed 7-foot-5 center Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract on Thursday, making him the first player of Indian descent on an NBA roster, but he did not make it into Friday's game. Bhullar, who was born in Toronto, was signed last August after going undrafted out of New Mexico State ... The Pelicans went 3-1 against the Kings this season, including a 102-88 win last Friday in New Orleans ... The Kings had a three-game home winning streak snapped ... New Orleans finishes a three-game road trip on Saturday against Northwest Division-champion Portland ... Sacramento continues a three-game homestand on Sunday against Utah.