Lewis gets 34, but Hornets win
OKLAHOMA CITY – The New Orleans Hornets might not have won a game like this back in December.
On a night when star rookie point guard Chris Paul and backup Speedy Claxton each left with injuries and Seattle’s Rashard Lewis scored 34 points, the Hornets managed to beat the SuperSonics 109-102 on Wednesday.
Kirk Snyder, forced out of his usual off-guard spot, had 16 points and a career-high 12 assists in 45 minutes, also a career best for the second-year player. David West had 26 points and 10 rebounds and P.J. Brown scored 21 with nine rebounds.
“It shows the character of this team,” said Desmond Mason, who had 15 points and spent time at the point. “I think we’re getting more confidence in ourselves. It shows we have grown as a basketball team.”
Rasual Butler’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining gave New Orleans a 105-102 lead. The Hornets made two defensive stops after that and sealed the victory with free throws by Brown and Mason.
Paul played 20 minutes, leaving for good early in the third quarter with bruised ribs. A blow to the head left Claxton with a mild concussion. He played less than a minute in the second quarter.
“Hopefully, one of them will be back soon – soon being Friday,” coach Byron Scott said. Without Paul and Claxton, “It puts a lot more emphasis on guys to play a lot more minutes. But that’s pro basketball. You’ve got to be ready to play.”
Lewis was the star for Seattle, which went winless during its four-game road trip. He hit three 3-pointers during an 11-4 run that gave the Sonics a 93-88 lead with 4:51 remaining. He came through again with 1:03 to play, hitting from long range for a 102-100 lead after Ray Allen’s shot in the lane was blocked by Butler.
West tied it with two free throws with 42 seconds left. After Luke Ridnour missed a jump shot, Butler sank his 3-pointer from the right wing to give New Orleans the lead for good.
Hornets 109, Sonics 102
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Collison | 33:05 | 6-8 | 0-1 | 5-11 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Lewis | 36:45 | 12-21 | 4-6 | 0-2 | 1 | 2 | 34 |
| Swift | 22:48 | 4-5 | 0-2 | 2-5 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Ridnour | 38:46 | 6-12 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 9 | 2 | 12 |
| Allen | 37:28 | 6-21 | 3-3 | 0-5 | 6 | 1 | 18 |
| Wilkins | 19:45 | 2-4 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Petro | 25:12 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Evans | 14:55 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 3-8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Murray | 5:08 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cleaves | 6:08 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 41-88 | 11-17 | 12-37 | 22 | 26 | 102 |
Percentages: FG .466, FT .647. 3-Point Goals: 9-23, .391 (Lewis 6-9, Allen 3-9, Cleaves 0-2, Ridnour 0-3). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 12 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Collison 2, Swift, Petro). Turnovers: 12 (Allen 3, Evans 2, Collison 2, Ridnour 2, Lewis, Wilkins, Petro). Steals: 7 (Ridnour 4, Lewis 2, Collison). Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 4:09 third.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| NEW ORLEANS | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Mason | 35:02 | 4-9 | 7-9 | 0-6 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| West | 38:10 | 8-18 | 10-11 | 3-10 | 2 | 1 | 26 |
| Brown | 35:11 | 8-11 | 5-5 | 3-9 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| Paul | 20:20 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| Snyder | 45:33 | 6-13 | 3-5 | 0-2 | 12 | 0 | 16 |
| Claxton | 0:34 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AaronWilliams | 18:59 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 4-8 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Butler | 27:13 | 5-10 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Smith | 8:05 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Nachbar | 7:13 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Vroman | 3:40 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 39-75 | 25-32 | 10-41 | 23 | 20 | 109 |
Percentages: FG .520, FT .781. 3-Point Goals: 6-17, .353 (Butler 4-7, Paul 1-1, Snyder 1-6, Nachbar 0-1, West 0-2). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 14 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Butler 3, Mason, West). Turnovers: 11 (Snyder 5, Brown 2, Paul 2, Vroman, Smith). Steals: 9 (Brown 3, West 2, Smith 2, Mason, Paul). Technical Fouls: Butler, 7:35 second.
| Seattle | 20 | 27 | 26 | 29—102 |
| New Orleans | 26 | 21 | 30 | 32—109 |
A—18,807 (19,163). T—2:14.