WVUE Hornets Headlines

Stojakovic leads Hornets past Suns, 110-103

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:13:56 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Peja Stojakovic hit seven 3-pointers during a 25-point, 13-rebound performance, and the New Orleans Hornets defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-103 on Thursday night.

Devin Brown and rookie Marcus Thornton each scored 19 for New Orleans, which won its second straight under new head coach Jeff Bower.

The score was tied at 96 when Stojakovic and rookie Darren Collison hit back-to-back 3s, and New Orleans held on from there. Collison had 15 points, putting both Hornets rookies in double figures.

Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and Jared Dudley, who was 5 of 6 on 3-pointers, scored 17 for Phoenix. Channing Frye added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Hornets defeat Clippers 110-102

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:55:07 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - David West had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeff Bower picked up his first coaching win in the New Orleans Hornets' 110-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

With Chris Paul out, point guards Darren Collison and Bobby Brown scored 12 apiece and combined for 11 assists as New Orleans snapped a three-game losing streak. Devin Brown had 16 points.

Al Thornton scored 30 points and former Hornets guard Baron Davis had 23 for the Clippers, who have lost four of five.

Bower moved to the sideline while keeping his general manager role last Thursday after the firing of Byron Scott.

Paul hurt as Blazers beat Hornets 86-78

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:42:50 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland to an 86-78 victory over a New Orleans team on Friday night that lost Chris Paul to a sprained ankle while trying to adjust to new head coach Jeff Bower.

The Hornets trailed for most of their first game since the firing of Byron Scott on Thursday. Bower and new top assistant Tim Floyd struggled to find a lineup that could score consistently even when Paul was in the game.

Paul sprained his left ankle at the end of the third quarter, moments after setting up Hilton Armstrong's dunk that cut Portland's lead to 62-52.

Brandon Roy scored 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who won their fifth straight game while dropping New Orleans to its fourth loss in five games.

Hornets fire coach Byron Scott

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:38:58 GMT

Westwego - The clock has run out for Hornets head coach Byron Scott after a disappointing start to the season that has the team sitting near the bottom of the NBA Western Conference.

“I want to thank Byron for the hard work he has put in during his time with the Hornets,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn. “I’ve hired Jeff Bower to take over the coaching reign. He knows this team better than anyone, has the respect of the players and in basketball circles, is regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the business. This is our best opportunity to reach our goals this season.”

Bower, who has served as general manager, scout and assistant coach of the team, will be assisted by former Hornets and UNO coach Tim Floyd. Floyd most recently coached at USC. Scott replaced Floyd as Hornets head coach in 2004.

Floyd was 41-41 in one season with the Hornets, taking the team to the playoffs despite an injury to the team's star forward Jamaal Mashburn. His NBA career record is 93-235.

As we look at our long-term coaching plans, it’s not about who the head coach is, it’s about the role of the head coach to get the team to perform to their capabilities and reaching our potential this season,” said Bower.

After a thrilling season in 2008 where the Hornets almost went to the NBA Finals, Scott hasn’t been able to recapture the magic. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2009 and is off to a 3-6 start this season after being spanked by the Suns Wednesday night.

This season was a contract year for Scott, but talk of an extension has been noticeably absent from the Hornets front office. Questionable coaching decisions, along with a seemingly unhappy star in Chris Paul, were the final undoing for Scott.

While Scott couldn't save his job, he did help save the franchise from leaving New Orleans. As attendance lagged after Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets front office struck a deal with the city and state to leave New Orleans if the numbers didn't pick up.

The team responded by filling up the New Orleans Arena as the team marched into the Western Conference finals in 2008.

Scott was 203-216 since joining the team in 2004. He was named NBA coach of the year for the 2007-2008 season.

Bosh leads Raptors in 107-90 win over Hornets

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:03:51 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Chris Bosh scored 27 points and the Toronto Raptors used a 27-4 run in the third quarter to take control of a 107-90 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

The Raptors trailed 56-51 before hitting a barrage of open 3-pointers to put the game away. Boshs 3 gave them the lead for good, 57-56, and Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani both hit three 3s in the next 7 minutes as Toronto went ahead 81-63.

Turkoglu and Jose Calderon both had 16 points for Toronto, while Bargnani added 14.

Chris Paul led New Orleans with 21 points and a season-high 18 assists, while Bobby Brown added 16 points and David West had 14.

The Hornets (2-4), who are below .500 after six games for the first time since 2005-06, trailed 83-65 at the end of the third quarter and heard some boos as they walked to the bench.

The Hornets started the second half with a 3-pointer from Morris Peterson and a dunk by Emeka Okafor to go ahead 56-51, but it was all downhill from there.

Bosh hit all nine of his shots, mostly from inside, and the Raptors were almost as proficient from the 3-point line in the second half. After connecting on only 3 of 11 3s in the first half, they made 11 of 18 after the break.

Toronto led 83-65 after its 34-point third quarter and stretched the lead to 98-73 as the Hornets never made a run. Midway through the fourth quarter, the New Orleans Arena was more than half-empty.

Neither team led by more than seven points before Torontos decisive spurt.

The first half was the "Paul and Bosh show" as two of the NBAs five leading scorers went back and forth. Paul hit 6 of 8 shots, scored 17 points and had 10 assists. Bosh went 5 for 5 from the field and 6 of 7 from the line, leading Toronto with 16 points.

Paul scored seven points in less than 2 minutes as the Hornets went ahead 33-26. Bosh responded with eight quick points to give the Raptors a 46-43 lead.

The second half was a different story. Paul did not score in the third quarter, when the Raptors hit more 3-pointers (8) than the Hornets had field goals (6).

With the threat of Bosh inside, the Hornets repeatedly failed to close out on the Raptors 3-point shooters. Bargnani had a game-high nine rebounds, but the Hornets did not have much chance to grab defensive rebounds as shot after shot fell for the Raptors in the second half.

The Hornets played their first game after learning that owner George Shinn had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Hornets announced that Shinn would miss their games for the next few weeks while undergoing further tests and focusing on recovery.

NOTES: Toronto began a 2-week stretch where seven of eight games are on the road. ... The Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak to the Hornets. Hornets rookie Marcus Thornton, activated for the first time, scored his first NBA points in the final minute. ... Paul, a career 34.4 percent 3-point shooter entering the season, improved to 13 of 16 when he hit his first 3 on Friday. He missed his next two.

Hornets owner Shinn says he has prostate cancer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:16:05 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The owner of the New Orleans Hornets has announced that he has cancer.

George Shinn made the announcement in a news release Friday that he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Shinn says he remains healthy and is optimistic that he will conquer the disease.

Shin, who moved the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans in 2002, says he and his wife, Denise, "remain strong in our faith and will maintain a positive attitude as I battle this with intense fervor and drive."

Hornets topple Mavericks in OT

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:37:57 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Peja Stojakovic hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation and Chris Paul scored six of his 39 points in overtime, lifting the New Orleans Hornets to a 114-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

David West scored 25 points and Bobby Brown 18 points for the Hornets, including a 3 and a breakaway dunk in overtime. Emeka Okafor had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Jason Terry had 35 points and Eric Dampier had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Dallas, which snapped its three-game winning streak.

The Mavericks had a 97-94 lead with 10 seconds left, but Jason Terry missed a technical free throw and Jose Barea missed two more foul shots, setting up the dramatic 3 by Stojakovic.

Hornets hand Knicks first win of season

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:46:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks finally got off to a good
start, then were even better at the finish.

David Lee scored a season-high 28 points, Al Harrington had 13
of his 24 in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks earned their first
victory of the season by beating the New Orleans Hornets 117-111 on
Monday night.

Chris Duhon finished with 18 points and nine assists for the
Knicks (1-3), who were off to their worst start since dropping
their first five games in 2005-06. But they played from ahead this
time after facing huge deficits in their previous games, then
pulled away midway through the fourth quarter.

"I thought they showed character. They battled back," Knicks
coach Mike D'Antoni said. "To get that first win, it gets a little
hairy. I'm just encouraged as a whole, the whole game."

Larry Hughes added 20 points in his first start of the season
after he didn't even play in the first two games. It was New York's
second straight lineup change and third of the season, and perhaps
D'Antoni finally found one he can stick with.

Chris Paul had season highs of 32 points and 13 assists for the
Hornets, who were coming off a loss in Boston on Sunday night.
Emeka Okafor added 24 points, his best game with New Orleans, and
grabbed 10 rebounds. David West scored 21 points.

"We had a lot of momentum actually going into the fourth and we
couldn't get stops. It's simple as that," Paul said. "We played a
pretty good game but our biggest issue right now is we can't stop
anybody."

Harrington was moved to the bench in the previous lineup change
despite being the Knicks' leading scorer. He scored a career-high
42 points Saturday in an overtime loss to Philadelphia, then made
key plays on both ends of this one to help New York seize control
in the fourth.

New York led only 92-90 after a 3-pointer by Paul before
Harrington and Lee sparked a decisive 10-2 run. Lee had a pair of
baskets in the spurt and Harrington added a jumper and two free
throws as the Knicks opened a 102-92 lead with 4:08 remaining.

Harrington's two free throws came after he came up with a loose
ball in a scramble after a New Orleans turnover. Paul appeared to
hit him in the head while they were on the floor fighting for the
ball, but Harrington was able to maintain possession.

"When I dove, my head hit his knee," Harrington said. "He
might have slipped a couple of jabs in there. It didn't affect me.
You know I fight in the summer, so it's all good."

Harrington also blocked Paul's shot on a drive to the basket
with about 3 minutes left.

"We had our opportunities and we just kind of blew it,"
Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "They came out the fourth quarter
a lot more aggressive than we did, kind of took it to us and it
just had that snowball effect. It just kept going."

The Knicks, who were outscored 72-38 in their last two first
quarters, got off to a good start this time. Hughes scored eight
points in eight minutes and New York led by 10 before settling for
a 31-24 advantage.

"Our only plan was to come out and get out to a good start,
whether that was doing it on the offensive end or defensive end,"
Hughes said. "We had no real game plan as far as doing it on the
offensive or doing it on the defense. We just wanted to get off to
a good start."

New York pushed the lead to 12 on Harrington's 3-pointer early
in the second, but the Hornets scored 11 straight to cut it to
38-37, and the Knicks led 58-52 at halftime.

The Knicks quickly regained a double-digit advantage, before
Paul and Okafor controlled the middle of the third quarter. Paul's
3-pointer gave the Hornets a 75-73 lead, their first since the
opening minutes, and he hit another jumper to end the period and
send New Orleans to the fourth up 81-77.

NOTES: Paul denied on his Twitter page that he ever came close
to the Celtics' locker room after Sunday's game. Paul pursued Rajon
Rondo toward the Boston side after the Hornets' loss. "I think
there comes a point in time in a game or even after a game when
somebody says something to you, and the only thing I heard Chris
say at the end of the game when we were walking off was that, 'he's
going to respect me as a man,"' Hornets coach Byron Scott said.
"So I don't know what Rondo said, but obviously Chris took
exception to it." The NBA is reviewing the incident. ... Knicks G
Nate Robinson could miss two weeks after spraining his right ankle
in Saturday's loss to Philadelphia. X-rays taken Monday night were
negative. ... Knicks F Jared Jeffries needed three more stitches
above his right eye after he was fouled late in the third quarter
on a drive to the basket.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Paul lifts Hornets past Kings

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:19:10 GMT

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.

Hornets blown out by Spurs in season opener

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:40:57 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tony Parker scored 17 points before leaving the game after a hard fall and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 113-96 on Wednesday night.

Parker landed with a thud on his right side after slicing between fellow All-Star Chris Paul and Hilton Armstrong for a layup late in the third quarter. He lay scrunched up and wincing for more than a minute before walking back to the bench on his own.

The contact set off heated words between Paul and Spurs newcomer Richard Jefferson, who were both hit with technical fouls at midcourt upon being separated.

Paul led all scorers with 26 points and Emeka Okafor had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his Hornets debut after sitting out the preseason with an injured toe.