Claxton carries Hornets

Chris Paul isn’t the only point guard on the New Orleans Hornets who can play.

Speedy Claxton had 28 points and seven assists, and hit two huge shots in the final 2 minutes to lift the Hornets over the reeling Minnesota Timberwolves 100-94 Saturday in Minneapolis.

Kirk Snyder added a career-high 28 points for the Hornets, who trailed by five with just over 3 minutes to play.

With Ricky Davis hitting jumpers and the home crowd rocking, the Timberwolves finally looked as if they would break out a funk that had them losing nine of their previous 12 games.

But Claxton knocked down two quick jumpers and Snyder added a rebound dunk and a 3-pointer in a 9-0 run that spanned just over a minute.

Warriors 99, Cavaliers 91: At Cleveland, Jason Richardson had 31 points in a scoring duel with LeBron James to lead the Golden State over the Cavaliers. James regained his shooting touch to score 33 points for Cleveland, but it wasn’t enough as the Warriors overcame the loss of guard Baron Davis to a sprained right ankle in the first quarter to snap a seven-game road losing streak.

Rockets 102, Jazz 88: At Houston, Yao Ming scored 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting and Rafer Alston dished out a season-high 13 assists as the Rockets beat Utah.

Bucks 99, Bobcats 93: At Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 18 points as the Bucks held off short-handed Charlotte. Melvin Ely scored 21 for the Bobcats, again playing without their top three scorers because of injuries.

Grizzlies 100, Lakers 99: At Los Angeles, Pau Gasol scored four of his 31 points in the final 53 seconds, Eddie Jones had 25 points and Memphis kept Kobe Bryant in check en route to a victory over the Lakers.