INGLEWOOD — With a handful of regular-season games remaining, playing solid basketball and staying healthy are keys for the Clippers. But locking down a top-six playoff berth is their priority.

And to get there, the Clippers need to win, something that has come relatively easily lately and Wednesday’s 114-98 victory against the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans at Intuit Dome was another example of the urgency they are taking to the final stretch of games.

“We’ve been (doing that) the last 15 or so games and understanding what’s at stake,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our guys are locked in, they understand what’s at risk and we plan to get that top six seed.

“So, taking care of business tonight, being professional. We understand they’re undermanned, but we can’t overlook this team. We got to be professional in our approach and just kind of go from there.”

Wednesday’s victory did little to solidify their position in the tight Western Conference.

The Clippers, who have won nine of their past 11 games, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies own identical 44-32 records with less than two weeks left. The three teams sit at Nos. 6-8 spots.

“You don’t want to go into the play-in games because one or two games, anything can happen,” Lue said. “So, that’s been our focus, our mindset and I’ll give our guys credit, they’ve been doing a good job with that.”

Still, the Clippers can’t afford to take any opponent lightly, especially a Pelicans squad that had dominated them in recent years. The Clippers have beaten the Pelicans just three times over the past three-plus seasons.

Unlike previous tries, though, the Clippers led the Pelicans by 12 by halftime and rode it to a comfortable victory in the first game of a five-game home stand.

There were a few nervous moments, though.

The Clippers, who led by as many as 15, saw their advantage dwindle to six at 70-64 midway through the third quarter. After a hook shot by center Ivica Zubac and consecutive baskets by Norman Powell, the Clippers pushed their lead to 77-66 with 5:06 left in the quarter.

The score remained close until the Clippers outscored the Pelicans 7-2 to close out the third.

The Pelicans cut the lead to 91-82 early in the final quarter but that’s as close as they got as the Clippers didn’t let up and came away with their fourth victory over the past nine days.

“This is a team that is gearing up for the playoffs and they’ve, over the last 10 games, been one of the best teams in the NBA on both sides of the ball ...” Pelicans coach Willie Green said before the game.

Kawhi scored 28 points for the Clippers and James Harden scored 21.