Western Conference top seeds Phoenix returned to winning ways with an emphatic 112-97 win over New Orleans in Arizona to take a 3-2 series lead.
Mikal Bridges led the way for Phoenix with 31 points and five rebounds while Chris Paul added 22 points with 11 assists.
"Hell of a win tonight," Bridges said. "We stayed together to get the win, now we've got to go and get another one."
The win marked a return to form for Phoenix, who had been erratic over the opening four games of the series against the eighth-seeded Pelicans.
"They've been playing harder than us so we knew we'd have to come out tonight and play harder than them," Bridges said.
Game six in the series takes place in New Orleans on Thursday.
Agence France-Presse
