Pelicans 98, Clippers 96: Anthony Morrow scored a season-best 27 points and Darius Miller tied his career high with 16 off the bench as New Orleans surprised visiting Los Angeles.

Anthony Davis added 16 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots and Alexis Ajinca finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won four straight for the first time since Jan. 2012. Tyreke Evans contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans, which was without injured Eric Gordon (knee).

Jamal Crawford scored 31 points off the bench for the Clippers, connecting on 7-of-15 from beyond the 3-point arc, but his final try from long range missed at the buzzer. Blake Griffin added 21 points and eight rebounds, Matt Barnes scored 14 points and Darren Collison had 11 for Los Angeles, which saw its lead over Houston slip to one game in the battle for third place in the Western Conference.

Griffin scored off an inbounds pass with 10 seconds left and was fouled, but missed the tying free throw. Davis then went to the line and made one of two on the other end, leaving the Clippers down by two before Crawford’s miss at the end of regulation.

The Pelicans led by as many as eight late in the first half but the Clippers scored the final five points of the half to make it 55-52. The Clippers used an 11-2 run early in the third quarter to take a 63-57 lead, but it wouldn’t hold up against the Pelicans.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Clippers G Chris Paul, the team’s second-leading scorer, finished 0-for-12 from the field with two points and 12 assists. Retired Tim Hardaway is the only other NBA player to take at least 12 shots without a make while also contributing at least 12 assists since the start of the 1985-86 season. … Griffin has scored at least 20 points in 30 straight games. … New Orleans also played without point guards Brian Roberts (knee) and Austin Rivers (upper respiratory infection).