Pelicans, Nets round out playoff field

The New Orleans Pelicans charged into the postseason in style.

The Brooklyn Nets, meanwhile, needed some help, but they sneaked into the playoff field, too.

Needing a victory in the season finale against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who were riding an 11-game winning streak, the Pelicans prevailed 108-103 Wednesday to grab the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff berth.

Thanks to 31 points from forward Anthony Davis, eighth-seeded New Orleans opens the postseason Saturday against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, behind 37 points from guard Russell Westbrook, blasted the Minnesota Timberwolves 138-113 to finish with the same record as the Pelicans. However, New Orleans held the tiebreaker thanks to winning the teams’ head-to-head series.

In the East, the Nets did their part Wednesday by beating the Orlando Magic 101-88. Later in the evening, when the Indiana Pacers lost 95-83 to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Nets earned the No. 8 seed and a first-round playoff meeting with the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

The top half of the Western Conference playoff bracket was completed when the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 117-91 to capture the Southwest Division championship and the No. 2 seed. Houston opens the playoffs against the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs would have won the Southwest with a victory over the Pelicans. Instead, San Antonio dropped down to No. 6 with the Grizzlies clinching No. 5. Memphis faces fourth-seeded Portland in the opening round, but the Grizzlies will have home-court advantage thanks to their superior regular-season record.

The Los Angeles Clippers finished with the same record as the Rockets, but Houston won the tiebreaker as a division champion. That leaves the Clippers with the No. 3 seed and a matchup with the defending champion Spurs.

The Chicago Bulls sealed the No. 3 seed in the East by edging the Hawks 91-85. The fourth-seeded Toronto Raptors finished a game behind Chicago despite a 92-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Chicago’s opening playoff opponent will be the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto squares off with the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards.