CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Emeka Okafor returned here early Saturday
morning, slept in his old bed, ate lunch at his favorite burrito
joint and later greeted many old friends at the arena he used to
call home.
Okafor's return to Charlotte rekindled memories, brought light
applause and - with a big assist from rookie Darren Collison -
ended with a much-needed win for the short-handed New Orleans
Hornets.
Collison scored a career-high 24 points filling in for Chris
Paul, David West added 21 points, and Okafor turned in a signature
solid performance in a 104-99 victory over the listless Bobcats on
Saturday night.
In the first regular-season meeting since the July trade that
sent Okafor to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler, the Hornets rallied
from a 10-point halftime deficit to snap a three-game losing streak
since Paul was sidelined.
"It was nice coming back here and having all the memories come
back and seeing everybody," Okafor said after scoring 16 points,
grabbing seven rebounds and hitting all four free throws. "But a
game is a game."
With the All-Star Paul out at least a month following knee
surgery and Marcus Thornton (lower back pain) out for a second
straight game, the Hornets figured to face a difficult task with
the Bobcats entering the night 18-5 at home.
But in their first home game in two weeks following a 3-3 West
Coast trip, the Bobcats were flat and faded in the second half as
Collison took over.
Stephen Jackson scored 26 points and Nazr Mohammed added all of
his 15 in the first half for Charlotte, which has lost three
straight.
"Everybody's talking that we're a playoff team," Bobcats coach
Larry Brown said. "That just shows you how far away we really are.
There's a difference between being good and hoping to be good."
Paul's injury might cost the Hornets a playoff berth - or maybe
not if Collison keeps playing like this.
The rookie from UCLA was able to consistently penetrate inside.
Following Morris Peterson's consecutive 3-pointers, Collison hit
two free throws and later scored on a nifty driving layup to cap a
12-4 run and give New Orleans a 95-85 lead with 5:15 left.
The Bobcats cut a 12-point deficit to 102-99 on Jackson's
three-point play with 30.5 seconds left. But then Collison again
blew by Raymond Felton for a left-handed layup with 10.1 seconds
left.
"I have a chance to use my speed and quickness," Collison
said. "Like (assistant coach) Tim Floyd told me, if you have a
cannon, shoot it."
With Gerald Wallace held to 14 points after missing a game with
a hamstring injury, the Bobcats fell below .500 as they again
played without Chandler.
Sidelined with a stress reaction in his left foot since Dec. 26,
Chandler returned to practice Friday and Brown announced two hours
before the game that he expected Chandler to play a few minutes.
But Chandler said an hour later that he still wasn't ready and
wanted a couple more days of running first. So while he sat out his
22nd consecutive game, Okafor played in his 226th straight -
getting mostly applause when he was introduced.
"I guess that was the ending of the experience," Okafor said.
"Walking in was weird, walking into the locker room and then being
announced as on the visitor's side was different."
Okafor was outplayed early by Mohammed, who hit his first seven
shots, then went 0 for 2 from the field and played sparingly after
halftime.
The Hornets' annual return to Charlotte, they left in a huff in
2002 over a failed arena proposal - highlighted the replacement
Bobcats' financial struggles in their sixth season.
Owner Bob Johnson has millions amid sluggish ticket and
sponsorship sales and is looking to sell. It's uncertain whether a
new ownership group, which could include former Houston Rockets
executive George Postolos, will retain managing partner Michael
Jordan.
"My hope is that Michael is involved," Brown said before the
game. "It's why I came here and I haven't been disappointed."
Jordan, rarely seen at games, wasn't in his courtside seat. The
Bobcats did have a rare sellout - only to have one of their worst
defensive efforts of the season.
"There wasn't any energy," Jackson said. "We didn't play hard
as a team."
NOTES: Hornets coach Jeff Bower said Thornton was making
progress and said he could "maybe" play Monday against Orlando.
... Brown interrupted his pregame media availability to hug Okafor
as he walked down the hall after visiting some former teammates.
"You look fit," Brown told him. "Appreciate it," replied
Okafor. ... Bobcats F Alexis Ajinca, who has been in the NBA
Development League since Nov. 30, will be in a cast for six weeks
after thumb surgery Friday.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
