Oakland, CA (My Sportsbook) - Jamal Crawford finished with a 39 points, as the Golden State Warriors downed New Orleans, 111-103, as the Hornets fell back in the Southwest Division race.

Anthony Morrow added 24 points, sinking a career-high five three-pointers for Golden State, which won its second in a row following a five-game losing streak. Anthony Randolph tied a career high with 20 points and hauled in a career-high 15 rebounds in the win, and Ronny Turiaf ended with 11 boards, seven points and six assists.

The Warriors had only seven players take the court as Monta Ellis (jammed left ankle), Stephen Jackson (foot), Corey Maggette (head contusion) and Brandan Wright (shoulder) all sat out.

"Well that was kind of enjoyable, wasn't it? You never know where your wins are coming from or your losses are coming from," Golden State head coach Don Nelson said. "I think that's the lesson tonight. It was a pretty neat team effort and we made shots all through the game, but certainly at the right time."

Chris Paul tied a career high with 43 points and notched nine assists for New Orleans, while David West ended with 31 points and 14 rebounds. However, no other Hornets player scored more than seven points, as they had a three-game win streak broken.

New Orleans lost a game in the division race, as first-place San Antonio beat Indiana earlier Friday. The Hornets now trail the Spurs by two games, with Houston a half-game ahead of New Orleans. The Rockets lost to the Lakers on Friday.

The Hornets are also situated in sixth in the Western Conference standings, behind fifth-place Houston and 1 1/2 games in front of seventh-place Utah. New Orleans could have clinched its second consecutive postseason berth Friday with a win and Phoenix loss. But the Hornets' loss and the Suns' win over Sacramento only tightened the West playoff race.

Golden State led by double digits in the first quarter and throughout the game, but blew the advantage and found itself trailing by a point with nine minutes to go.

But Randolph sank a shot and Crawford drilled a three for an 82-78 lead, and the Warriors led the rest of the way, keeping New Orleans from getting over the hump, thanks to a series of big baskets.

A Paul bucket got the Hornets within 88-87 with under six minutes to go, but C.J. Watson followed with a jumper. Morrow then sank 1-of-2 foul shots, and after Rasual Butler missed a baseline jumper at the other end, Morrow drained a three from the left side with 3:48 to go for a 94-87 lead.

New Orleans stayed in the game and got within four points after Paul sank a fastbreak layup off a steal. But again Morrow connected on a three, putting Golden State ahead 99-92 with 2 1/2 minutes to play.

The Hornets continued to make shots, but the Warriors made 10-of-10 free throws -- eight from Crawford -- the rest of the way to seal the win.

"To miss three of our top scorers, we are fighting with seven guys, it ranks up there at the top," Crawford said. "To play a team like that, a team that is really fighting for a playoff spot, it shows where we can be potentially."

With the Warriors already up seven late in the first quarter, Randolph scored three consecutive baskets to give his team a 31-18 lead. West ended the frame with a basket, and the teams traded points in a back-and-forth second quarter, which ended with the Warriors holding a 55-46 advantage.

Consecutive baskets from Crawford with under five minutes to play gave Golden State a 70-58 lead, but New Orleans scored nine of the final 11 points of the quarter to get within 74-71 going into the fourth. The Hornets rattled off seven consecutive points to take a 78-77 edge.

Game Notes

Watson had 11 points for the Warriors...Golden State shot 46.8 percent from the field, while New Orleans made 43 percent of its shots...The Hornets sank 6-of-21 three-point attempts, and the Warriors made 10-of-26 from beyond the arc.