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. Bruce Thornton Jersey Retro .S.-Cuba relations means baseball prospects get off the island and into the major leagues without payoffs to smugglers and threats from kidnappers, its hard to see the downside. Stitched Cheap Jerseys . Since coming to the big leagues in late May, La Stella is 6 for 7 with the bases loaded, driving in 13 runs in those at-bats. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/. - In about six minutes, the Memphis Grizzlies had allowed their 23-point lead to be cut to seven. Taylor Decker Jersey Retro . -- Max Domi scored twice and set up two more as the London Knights toppled the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 6-4 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League action. Curtis DeLoatch Jersey Retro .com) - In the absence of Dwight Howard, Donatas Motiejunas had a career night to keep the Houston Rockets winning streak alive.Scottsdale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Tiger Woods struggled to his worst round as a professional at the Phoenix Open on Friday. Woods mixed two double-bogeys, a triple-bogey and six bogeys with a pair of birdies in a round of 11-over 82. He ended 36 holes at 13-over-par 155. This will be the second straight missed cut for Woods. His last missed cut was also his last official PGA Tour start, the 2014 PGA Championship. Woodss previous worst round was an 81 in the third round of the 2001 Open Championship on a day in which nine other players shot 80 or worse and just nine players broke par. I was more committed to what I was doing on my back nine, hit some better shots, but still have a lot of work to do, Woods stated. It was not a very good day from the start, until the end, but I fought all day. After an opening par on the 10th, Woods drive at the 11th stopped under a tree and he barely moved his second shot 10 yards. He scrambled for bogey from there. At the 14th, Woods took an unplayable lie from a bush. Woods later left a flop shot short on the same hole and that led to a double- bogey. It got worse at the 15th. His drive on the par-5 found water. He hit the fairway with his second tee shot, then dumped his fourth in a greenside bunker. He left his sannd shot in the rough and later 2-putted for triple-bogey to slide to 8-over par for the tournament.ddddddddddddA poor chip on the 17th led to a bogey and he dropped another stroke at 18, where he failed to save par from a greenside bunker. The opening nine 44 for Woods tied his highest 9-hole score in his PGA Tour career. Woods settled down with three straight pars to start his second nine, but more trouble loomed. His tee shot flew the green at the par-3 fourth, and he skulled his chip back into the front bunker. After blasting on, Woods 2-putted for double-bogey from 18 feet out. The 14-time major champion finally got one stroke back as he rolled in a 5- foot birdie try at the fifth. Woods gave that right back as he failed to save par from a greenside bunker at No. 6 and he followed with a 3-putt bogey on the seventh. Woods drained a 9-foot birdie chance at eight, then missed the green at nine. He played his third to 11 feet and he missed the par putt. Its golf. We all have days like this. Unfortunately mine was in a public forum, in a public setting, but we all have days like this. We take the good with the bad. Even on bad days like this, keep fighting because on the good days you have to keep fighting as well, stated Woods. ' ' '