NBA: Paul bests Nash as Hornets down Suns

Chris Paul had 21 points and 10 assists, outplaying the point guard he admires most in Steve Nash and lifting the New Orleans Hornets to a 101-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday nigh in New Orleans.

Accurate perimeter shooting was the difference for the Hornets, who made 12 3-pointers. Paul made three, the last of which put New Orleans ahead for good midway through the fourth quarter after the Suns had erased a 16-point deficit to briefly take a lead of their own.

Morris Peterson also scored 21 for New Orleans, connecting on 4 of 6 3-point attempts. Rasual Butler also hit four 3s for all of his 12 points.

David West and Tyson Chandler gave the Hornets needed balance inside. West had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Chandler finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.

Guarded tightly by an energetic Paul most of the night, Nash was effective but well short of his best, finishing with 12 points and seven assists. He also turned the ball over twice.

Wizards 92, Kings 79: At Washington, DeShawn Stevenson had 19 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the short-handed Wizards to a win over Sacramento.

Already without starting point guard Gilbert Arenas, recovering from left knee surgery last month, Washington announced earlier in the day that backup Antonio Daniels would be out for the next two-to-four weeks due to a sprained MCL.

Hawks 93, Bobcats 84: At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 31 points, Marvin Williams had 20 and the Hawks beat Charlotte, giving the Bobcats their eighth road loss in nine games.

“Atlanta forward Shelden Williams was carjacked at gunpoint before the game and two suspects were arrested with his car hours later.

Williams reported to Philips Arena before the game but missed the team’s shootaround. He made his first appearance in the game against the Bobcats late in the third quarter.

Knicks 94, Nets 86: At New York, Eddy Curry scored 23 points, a night after hitting rock bottom during a scoring slump, and the Knicks beat New Jersey to snap a five-game losing streak.

Jamal Crawford led New York with 32 points. Zach Randolph added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who had fallen into a tie for last place in the Eastern Conference.

Grizzlies 123, Magic 119: At Orlando, Fla., Rudy Gay scored a career-high 32 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 25 to help Memphis beat the Magic, snapping a six-game losing streak.

Mike Miller scored 19 points for Memphis, which shot 53 percent from the field, most of it from perimeter. The Grizzlies hit 12 3-pointers, including two clutch ones from Navarro in the final 3 minutes.

76ers 92, Cavaliers 86: At Cleveland, Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala scored 20 points apiece to lead Philadelphia to a victory over the slumping Cavaliers.

After Damon Jones’ 3-pointer gave the Cavaliers a 75-74 lead with 7:57 to play, four points by Iguodala, including a 3, and baskets by Miller and Samuel Dalembert provided an 8-0 run that gave Philadelphia the lead for good.

Pacers 106, Heat 103: At Miami, Jamaal Tinsley scored 26 points, Jermaine O’Neal started a crucial fourth-quarter run with three straight baskets and Indiana extended its dominance of the Heat.

Jermaine O’Neal finished with 24 points and Danny Granger added 16 for Indiana, which started the final period on a 14-4 run to take control and has now won 18 of the past 22 regular-season meetings with Miami.

Mavericks 96, Rockets 83: At Houston, Josh Howard scored 23 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 20 as Dallas beat the Rockets, continuing to dominate their in-state division rival.

Jerry Stackhouse had 17 points for the Mavs, who’ve won six straight meetings with Houston and 10 of the last 11.

Spurs 102, Nuggets 91: At San Antonio, Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto each scored a season-high 21 points in the Spurs’ victory over Denver.

“Denver forward Kenyon Martin was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay for a flagrant foul and sat out the game against San Antonio.

Martin was assessed a flagrant foul against Melvin Ely, striking him in the head with an elbow in the second period of the Nuggets’ 105-99 win Wednesday over New Orleans.

Bucks 95, Timberwolves 92: At Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 32 points and made two free throws late to help the Bucks hold off Minnesota.

Yi Jianlian, the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, had a career high 22 points and Mo Williams added 19 for Milwaukee which extended Timberwolves’ losing streak to four games.