Hornets sting Grizzlies
NEW ORLEANS -- David West had 33 points and 10 rebounds to help the undermanned New Orleans Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-99 on Saturday night.
Peja Stojakovic made six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points for New Orleans, which was without starting center Tyson Chandler (flu) and starting shooting guard Morris Peterson (back).
Chris Paul scored his only 2 points with a fast-break layup with 4:50 to go, but finished with 16 assists as the Hornets followed up a double-overtime triumph at Phoenix on Wednesday with a second straight victory.
Rudy Gay scored 26 points for Memphis, which has lost six straight and eight in a row on the road. Mike Miller scored 18 and Mike Conley 16 for the Grizzlies, who never led but trailed only 87-84 early in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets finally pulled away for good when reserve Ryan Bowen's free throws began an 11-0 run that gave New Orleans a 98-94 lead with about 4 minutes to go. West hit four free throws during the surge, which Stojakovic capped with a 3-pointer.
Reserve guard Jannero Pargo scored 13 for New Orleans, while Hilton Armstrong, who started for Chandler, finished with 11. Rasual Butler, starting for Peterson, finished with 10 points.
Darko Milicic scored 14 and Hakim Warrick 12 for Memphis.
One night after a double-digit loss at Dallas, the Grizzlies came out flat, making only one of their first nine shots. The Hornets ran out to a 16-2 lead with the help of Stojakovic's 3-pointer and a dunk by West.
The Grizzlies survived the early slump, snapping out of it when Gay's driving dunk ignited an 11-2 run. The Grizzlies fought back to tie it at 22 early in the second quarter on a jumper by Gay, who came in averaging a team-leading 19.7 points.
Reserve guard Bobby Jackson hit a pair of free throws and a running floater to spark a 13-2 New Orleans run, which included Stojakovic's second 3 and a pair of fast-break layups by Bowen and Butler.
West's dunk on a feed from Paul shortly after restored New Orleans' 14-point lead at 44-30. But Memphis refused to go quietly. Gay's spinning layup in the lane and his pair of free throws helped Memphis close with four late in the second quarter before West's fadeaway gave New Orleans a 48-42 halftime lead.