NEW ORLEANS -- Forward Anthony Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and guard Tyreke Evans added 21 points and 11 assists to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 108-103 victory over the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at the Smoothie King Center, putting the Pelicans into the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

The victory, the eighth in the final 11 games for the Pelicans, raised their season record to 45-37. Even though New Orleans and Oklahoma City finished with identical records, the Pelicans earned the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference based on a 3-1 regular-season edge over the Thunder.

The Pelicans will open the playoffs against No. 1 seed Golden State in Oakland on Saturday.

The loss snapped the Spurs' 11-game winning streak, and they finished the season 55-27, a game behind Houston for the Southwest Division title. A win would have given the Spurs a No. 2 seed. Instead they will be seeded either fifth or sixth in the Western Conference. If it is seeded fifth, San Antonio would still have the homecourt advantage against No. 4 seed Portland.

The Pelicans led 79-61 late in the third quarter, but San Antonio used a 13-3 run -- with eight points coming from reserve guard Patty Mills -- to cut the deficit to 82-74 with 11:48 left.

The Spurs worked the deficit down to 85-80 when they intentionally fouled center Omer Asik, a 59 percent foul shooter, on three consecutive New Orleans possessions. Asik made three of six from the line, allowing San Antonio to keep pace, 88-83.

But Pelicans guard Eric Gordon dribbled past Marco Belinelli for an easy layup, Evans hit a driving layup on the right side and Davis nailed two free throws to give New Orleans a 94-83 lead with 5:55 left.

Gordon added a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put New Orleans up 97-86, and the Pelicans preserved the victory by making five of six free throws in the final 39.4 seconds. Davis got his 200th block of the season on a drive by Spurs forward Boris Diaw with 39 seconds left

The Spurs were led by guard Tony Parker with 23 points and Diaw with 20.

The Pelicans came out smoking, hitting 18 of their first 25 shots (72 percent) and racing to a 41-19 lead. After the game was tied at 12, the Pelicans outscored San Antonio 29-7 over a 7:20 span of the first and second quarter, with Davis pouring in 10 points during the surge and Evans adding seven.

With New Orleans holding a 41-23 lead, guard Norris Cole exploded for 11 of the Pelicans' next 13 points, mostly on slashing drives, and he finished with 13 second-quarter points.

In taking a 63-47 lead into intermission, the Pelicans made 28 of 46 from the field (61 percent), including 3 of 5 from long range. Davis led the Pelicans with 16 first-half points and five rebounds, and the only negative were three early turnovers in which he showed a case of nerves.

The Spurs trailed by as many as 23 points, 54-31, on Cole's conventional three-point play, but they cut the deficit to 16 points, with Parker scoring eight of his 16 first-half points in the final 2:57 of the second quarter. Diaw had 12 points off the bench for the Spurs in the second quarter.

NOTES: San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who has made a habit of resting players even in important games, said he could not afford that luxury with the No. 2 seed in the West on the line. "I wish they were sitting, to be honest with you," he said. "I wish the game didn't mean anything for us or for (Pelicans coach) Monty (Williams), or I'd be resting guys without a doubt." ... Asked if he had zeroed in on any potential playoff opponents despite the playoff picture being so muddled, Popovich said before the game: "We'll worry about who we're going to play tomorrow. I won't think about that until then." ... Williams said he was not underselling the importance of the Pelicans being in