Stephen Curry scored 39 points to help the Golden State Warriors claim a crucial home win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Golden State’s 120-109 victory moved them above the Minnesota Timberwolves into the sixth and final play-off spot in the Western Conference.
Curry landed eight three-pointers as the Warriors fought back from 20 points down to win in San Francisco.
Team-mate Klay Thompson scored five three-pointers in a 17-point haul.
The eighth-placed Pelicans had won five games in a row and looked set to move ahead of the Warriors in the Western Conference as they stormed clear in the first half.
Brandon Ingram led the scoring for the visitors, finishing with 26 points, as the Pelicans made the most of 14 first-half turnovers.
But Curry and Thompson’s second-half barrage from beyond the arc wrestled back the advantage as Golden State outscored their opponents 74-46 after the break. The defending NBA champions have five games remaining in the regular season.
Elsewhere, Desmond Bane scored 31 points as the Memphis Grizzlies, who are second in the Western Conference, extended their winning streak to seven games with a 113-108 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic.
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics’ chances of moving ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks into top spot were hit by a 130-111 defeat to the Washington Wizards.
The Celtics face the Bucks on Thursday, while the 11th-placed Wizards are battling to make the top 10. Teams that finish from seventh to 10th go into the play-in tournament, which decides the final two play-off places in each conference.
Elsewhere, Dejounte Murray scored 29 points, including five in the final two minutes, as the eighth-placed Atlanta Hawks strengthened their play-off hopes with a 120-118 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
