agent contention after two double bogeys on the front niDan Boyle.MONTREAL - The M

NEW ORLEANS - Injuries and illness across New Orleans roster provided Daruis Miller a chance to play extended minutes with his old Kentucky teammate, Anthony Davis. They did a lot of winning together in college, and Wednesday nights game against an NBA playoff contender was no different. Davis had 16 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks while Miller capped a 16-point outing with a pair of clutch jumpers, and the under-manned Pelicans won their fourth straight, 98-96 over the Los Angeles Clippers. "I just knew I had an opportunity. I wanted to come out and play aggressively," said Miller, whose nearly 29 minutes of action were more than double his season average of 11.8. "I just so happened to have a good game. I think everybody did, though. Everybody stepped up and thats the reason why we won." Millers 3 made it 95-90, and his 16-foot jumper coming off a screen to the left of the foul line gave the Pelicans a 97-92 lead with 47 seconds left. Anthony Morrow, also playing extended minutes, scored 27 points, while reserve centre Alexis Ajinca added 14 points and 11 rebounds. "We beat a team thats got a chance to win a title," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "I cant say enough about our group. It felt like a playoff game in there tonight." Jamal Crawford scored 31 for the Clippers, but narrowly missed a couple late 3-point attempts, including one as time expired that could have won it. "We didnt execute the play," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of the final seconds. "But the game didnt come down to the final play. I really thought (New Orleans) deserved to win. "If we had won, I would have taken it, but sometimes the basketball gods punish you for messing around and I though thats what we did." Former New Orleans star Chris Paul had 12 assists, but set a Clippers record for shooting futility by missing all 12 of his attempts from the field. His only points came on two foul shots. "If I go 0 for 15 or 0 for 20 and we win, I could care less," said Paul, whose team had won nine of its previous 10 games to get within striking distance of the second playoff seed in the Western Conference. "Its more than this game. Its about playing the right way going into the playoffs." Blake Griffin had 21 points, including a late off-balance floater as he was fouled with 10.5 seconds left. But he missed the following free throw that could have tied it. Davis rebounded the miss, but clanked a free throw on the other end, giving Los Angeles one more chance to tie or win. Davis scored 10 of his points in the second half, including a two-handed dunk in which he sprung toward the hoop from right side of the lane too quickly for DeAndre Jordan to respond. Davis also took on Griffin with confidence, rising over him to score on one end and alter his shots on the other. "AD wanted to prove that he and Blake are on the same level," Williams said. Jordan had 11 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, but lamented, "We didnt play defence in the first half. We gave them a lot of confidence and when that happens its hard to turn guys off." Pelicans guard Eric Gordon missed his third straight game with left knee tendinitis, while point guards Brian Roberts (bruised left knee) and Austin Rivers (upper respiratory infection) were also out. That forced Williams to start shooting guard Tyreke Evans at point guard, with Miller, normally a small forward, also playing some minutes at guard. Evans finished with 10 points and nine assists. "Its like MASH unit," Williams said. "Were sitting there looking at the guys go through warm-ups this morning and it didnt look good. So we brought the guys together and just talked to them about, Just compete at a high level." New Orleans managed to keep pace with Los Angeles in part because Paul kept missing and didnt score until hitting two free throws with 2:52 left in the third quarter. "Chris started pressing a little bit," Rivers said. "He was trying to get going, which you want him to do. Just keep doing it in the realm of the offence." Notes: The Clippers went 13 of 30 from 3-point range. They won the previous 33 games in which theyd made at least nine 3s. ... The Pelicans victory was their first over the Clippers in four games this season. They wont meet again. ... New Orleans reached 10 blocks in a game for the 10th time this season, most in the NBA. Buy Saucony Shoes Online . The 6-foot-10 centre who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday, adding that honour to becoming a board member at his alma mater. Cheap Saucony Shoes Online .com) - The Hatch Attack is back in the Southern Conference. http://www.cheapsaucony.us/ . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. Cheap Saucony Originals . Dane Dobbie had four goals and two assists, Karsen Leung had two goals and two assists, and Matthew Dinsdale scored two and helped on another for Calgary (6-3). Shawn Evans and Jeff Shattler had eight-point games with a goal and seven assists apiece, and Jon Harnett and Geoff Snider also scored. Saucony Shoes On Sale . Still, Inter moved one point ahead of Parma in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League spot. Udinese remained 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Inter was beaten 2-1 by Atalanta at home on Sunday and has won only seven of 16 matches at the San Siro this season, as the squad seems to still be searching for its identity under new owner Erick Thohir and first-year manager Walter Mazzarri.Zander Lombard carded a late birdie to recover from blowing a three-shot lead to hold onto a one-shot advantage over Chinas Wu Ashun at the Lyoness Open. The South African had been tied for the overnight lead alongside Frances Gregory Bourdy at Austrias Diamond Country Club and while both men fired under-par rounds, it was the four-under 68 from Lombard that proved enough for a narrow advantage heading into the final round. Latest leaderboard Lyoness Open However it could have been so much better for Lombard who fired four birdies in his opening seven holes to open up a three-shot lead as he stood on the ninth tee. But a loose drive into the trees resulted in a lost ball and a triple-bogey seven to bring Lompard back to the head of the field alongside a charging Wu who had moved from three-under to eight-under after five birdies in 10 holes. Ashun Wu moved into contention after a flawless round of 65 in Austria The Chinese star claimed victory in the China Open last year and went on to add two more birdiies to set the clubhouse target at 10 under following a round of the day 65 with Bourdy and Lombard still out on the course.ddddddddddddLombard regained his composure and bounced back with a birdie from close range on the 11th and further birdies at the 14th and 17th ensured he would take a lead into the final round.Bourdy appeared to have fallen out of contention after two double bogeys on the front nine but three birdies and a returning 33 ensured he remained in the hunt for a fifth European Tour title. Spains Adrian Otaegui got himself into Sundays final group with a five-under par 67 to join Bourdy two shots off the lead on nine-under par with Joost Luiten lurking at 8 under.Defending champion Chris Wood fired a two-under-par 70 to sit alongside a host of players in a tie for 12th at 4 under with home favourite and 2012 champion Bernd Wiesberger one shot further adrift after a 69 for his best round of the week.Englands Chris Paisley shot a 66 to finish six under-par, one shot adrift of Swedens Marcus Kinhult who matched Wus round of the day with 65 that included three birdies in the last five holes.Watch the Lyoness Open throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: European Tour Schedule Watch online Golf live on Sky Sports 4 Free HD Golf Game ' ' '