NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Chris Paul scored 31 points and Emeka Okafor capped another strong performance by blocking Kevin Martin's tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds to help the Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings 97-92 on Friday night.
Okafor, who missed the entire preseason with a sprained toe, finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for his second straight double-double with New Orleans. Paul scored 13 of New Orleans last 17 points and David West added 13 points in the home opener for the Hornets (1-1).
Tyreke Evans scored 22 points and Martin added 20 for Sacramento (0-2).
The Kings led 91-88 on Martin's running floater off the glass, but Paul hit a spinning layin off the glass as he was fouled while absorbing a knee to the groin. After bending over at the waist for a few seconds, Paul went to the line and sank the free throw to tie it at 91 with 1:16 to go.
New Orleans led 93-91 on Okafor's one-handed follow-up jam of Paul's missed jumper, but Sacramento had a chance to lead when Jon Brockman missed his second of two free throws and Jason Thompson got his 12th rebound to give Sacramento another possession, trailing 93-92 with 15.2 seconds left.
Evans dribbled toward the lane, but his mid-range jumper was blocked by Okafor and Paul snagged the loose ball before being fouled and hitting both free throws to make it 95-92 with 5.9 seconds left.
Sacramento got the ball to Martin for an attempted 3 in the corner and Okafor made his key block. The Hornets quickly got the ball to Paul, who hit two more foul shots to salt it away.
Julian Wright finished with 11 points in his new role as a starter and was providing pressure on Okafor's block of Evans. Peja Stojakovic, now coming off the bench behind Wright, had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Andres Nocioni had 16 points for the Kings, who won an NBA worst 17 games last season and are still looking for their first victory under new coach Paul Westphal.
Sacramento outrebounded New Orleans 52-43, but shot only 37.5 percent (36 of 96) and were outscored 26-13 at the free throw line. New Orleans shot 45.2 percent (33 of 73).
The Kings led by eight when Beno Udrih's 3 capped an 8-2 run late in the third quarter to put the Kings up 73-65. Paul's driving layup and 3-pointer with a second left in the period helped the Hornets pull to 75-72 heading into the final quarter.
Stojakovic's second 3-pointer of the game and Darius Songaila's fadeaway evened the score at 77 with 9:25 left, marking one of 15 ties in the game.
NOTES: Former LSU star Marcus Thornton was inactive for the second time for New Orleans. Coach Byron Scott said that although Thornton is a good shooter, he still has a lot to learn in terms of positional play on both ends of the court. ... The Hornets are 6-1 in home openers in the New Orleans Arena. ... The Kings play next Saturday night in San Antonio, their third straight road game to open the season before they return home Monday night against Memphis. ... Announced attendance was 17,306, officially a sellout.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
