The AP reports: Yao Ming scored 22 points, Luis Scola grabbed 15 rebounds and the Rockets routed the Hornets 86-66 on Monday night in their regular-season home finale. Houston came in holding the No. 4 seed in the West, but with the same record as San Antonio and Portland, who both won later in the night. If the Rockets win their last game in Dallas on Wednesday, they’ll secure their first division championship since 1993-94. But in the jumbled Western Conference, Houston could also slip to fifth place—and lose home-court advantage in the first round—with a loss to the Mavericks… David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Paul had nine points and seven assists for the Hornets, who’ve lost five of their last seven. Scott is worried about his team’s inconsistency heading into its regular-season finale Wednesday in San Antonio.
Category: New Orleans Pelicans Blog
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Chris Paul amazing, Hornets beat Mavericks 102-92
The AP reports: Chris Paul narrowly missed his seventh triple-double this season with 31 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 102-92 on Sunday to earn a split in a key late-season home-and-home series… “Paul was setting everybody up and he was scoring, so that’s why he’s one of the best point guards in the league,” said Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, who had 29 points and 14 rebounds. David West scored 31 points to help New Orleans (49-31) move a game ahead of Dallas for the sixth playoff seed in the Western Conference. Each team has two games left in the regular season… Josh Howard added 15 points for the Mavericks, who had pulled even in the standings with New Orleans on Friday by beating the Hornets in Dallas.
Paul shines, but Mavericks beat Hornets 100-92
The AP reports: With a great start and a feisty finish, the rolling-at-the-right-time Dallas Mavericks were able to withstand a big game by Chris Paul and beat the New Orleans Hornets 100-92 on Friday night, forcing a tie between the teams for sixth place in the Western Conference. Now Dirk Nowitzki is eager to see if the Mavs can do it again—on Sunday, in New Orleans. “We’ve won some nice home games, but our true tests are on the road,” said Nowitzki, who scored 25 points… Paul scored 42 points, one shy of his career high, plus had nine rebounds and seven assists. However, he didn’t get much help. David West was the only other double-digit scorer with 20 points and it took him 20 shots. New Orleans trailed by 10 after a few minutes and was down 42-21 midway through the second quarter.
Chris Paul rocks, but Suns beat Hornets 105-100
The AP reports: Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal will be playoff outsiders for the first time in a long time. Nash had 24 points and 13 assists, making six key free throws in the final 42 seconds, and Phoenix survived a late New Orleans rally to take a 105-100 victory on Wednesday night. But the victory wasn’t enough to keep Phoenix’s playoff hopes alive. The Suns were knocked out of the postseason for the first time since 2004, when Dallas beat Utah later Wednesday night… Chris Paul wound up with a game-high 29 points and 16 assists… David West had 28 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter but got as close as 100-97 on Stojakovic’s 3-pointer with 26 seconds to go.
Butler, West rise, Hornets beat Heat, 93-87
The AP reports: New Orleans is going back to the playoffs, thanks in large part to dramatics from Rasual Butler and David West. Butler hit a game-tying 3-pointer with no time remaining in regulation, West made the go-ahead jumper with 8.8 seconds left in overtime, and the Hornets stunned the Miami Heat 93-87 on Tuesday night. Chris Paul finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Peja Stojakovic added 24 points for the Hornets (48-29), who not only clinched their postseason berth but stayed thickly in the hunt for home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs… Dwyane Wade scored 32 points before getting ejected with 1.4 seconds remaining and Michael Beasley added 25 for Miami (41-37), which remained a half-game ahead of Philadelphia in the race for the No. 5 spot in the East postseason chase. The Heat fell three games behind Atlanta for the fourth seed in the East.
D-Will hits 8-of-10, Jazz beat Hornets 108-94
The AP reports: Ronnie Brewer scored 23 points, and Utah earned a spot in the postseason while completing a convincing season sweep of the New Orleans Hornets with a 108-94 victory on Sunday night. “It’s a great way to start this road trip, give us a lot of confidence and realize that if we play like that every night, we can beat anybody,” said Jazz guard Deron Williams, who had 21 points and 11 assists… David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which could have clinched a playoff spot with a victory, but instead lost its second straight game. Chris Paul had 19 points and 12 assists, but also had four turnovers and was limited by foul trouble… Andrei Kirilenko, starting for Utah because C.J. Miles was out with a dislocated left index finger, scored 16 points.
Crawford scores 39, short-handed Warriors beat Hornets 111-103
The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 39 points, Anthony Randolph matched his career high with 20 points and added a career-high 15 rebounds and Golden State beat the New Orleans Hornets 111-103 on Friday night… Anthony Morrow had 24 points on a career-high five 3-pointers, the last of which gave the Warriors a 99-92 lead with 2:36 remaining. Chris Paul scored on a quick layup to pull New Orleans within five, but that was as close as the Hornets got… Paul had 43 points, nine assists and four rebounds, and David West added his 25th double-double of the season with 31 points and 14 rebounds for New Orleans, which lost for only the third time in nine games. Peja Stojakovic, playing his first game after being sidelined since March 2 because of back spasms, had seven points in 25 minutes.
Paul has double-double, Hornets edge Clippers 104-98
The AP reports: Two starters are out and an All-Star is hurting, but the New Orleans Hornets still have Chris Paul to carry them. Paul had 30 points and 14 assists, David West added 19 points, and the Hornets moved closer to the top of the Southwest Division by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 104-98 on Wednesday night… Eric Gordon led Los Angeles with 25 and Zach Randolph added 24 for the Clippers, who lost their ninth straight to New Orleans… David West was limited to three rebounds, but provided enough scoring for a New Orleans team missing injured starters Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler.
James Posey out 3 games
Forward James Posey will miss the next three games with a sprained left elbow. The injury occurred during Friday night’s road game in New York. Posey will be re-evaluated on Saturday once the Hornets return home from the three-game road trip. He will travel with the team on the trip.
Hornets hold off Spurs, 90-86
The AP reports: Chris Paul found an unconventional way to deliver a knock-out blow to one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. With New Orleans clinging to an 87-86 lead over San Antonio, Paul split two defenders on the dribble and heaved up a wild, inaccurate shot from behind well behind the 3-point line as he was being fouled by Manu Ginobili. The result was three free throws for Paul, who calmly made them all with 7.1 seconds left, helping the depleted Hornets hold on for a 90-86 victory over the Spurs on Sunday night… Paul finished with 26 points and West scored 23 points to go with 16 rebounds. West made all 11 of his free throws and Paul made all nine of his… Tony Parker led San Antonio with 20 points. Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Ginobili added 17 points.