Chris Paul narrowly missed a triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds as the New Orleans Hornets clinched a playoff spot with a 101-93 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Trevor Ariza added 19 points and six steals and Jarrett Jack collected 19 points and five assists for the Hornets (45-33), who moved into a tie for sixth place in the West with the Portland Trail Blazers (45-33), one game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies (44-34) in eighth.

The Rockets (41-38) fell 3 1/2 games behind the Grizzlies, ending their hopes for a playoff berth.

Houston led, 86-81, with 6:45 left in the game before New Orleans took over. Paul drove for a layup and completed a three-point play and Ariza tied it with a short jumper with 5:39 left.

Jack stole the ball from Brad Miller on the Rockets’ next possession and buried a 3-pointer to put the Hornets back on top. Houston would tie it one more time when Kevin Martin converted a 3-point play but Paul hit two free throws to spark a 12-4 closing the contest.

Martin finished with 21 points to lead the Rockets.