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Gordon leads Pistons to OT win over Hornets

Dec 20, 2010 - 6:38 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Ben Gordon scored 24 of his 25 points in the second half and overtime to lead Detroit over New Orleans, 111-108, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Will Bynum chipped in 21 points and nine assists and hit the go-ahead layup with 7.4 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Pistons won for just the third time in their last 12 contests.

Tayshaun Prince collected 28 points, 12 boards and eight assists, and Charlie Villanueva added 17 points and six rebounds for the victors.

"We did a great job of staying with the course and guys playing within themselves and again sharing the basketball," Pistons head coach John Kuester said. "We had 17 turnovers; that's going to happen in this kind of pace of game. But we did a great job of sharing the ball."

David West had a game-high 32 points with nine boards, while Chris Paul ended with 23 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Gordon scored the first five points of overtime on a long jumper and a three- point play. New Orleans fought back to score four straight points, but the Pistons took a 107-104 lead on Bynum's layup with 1:59 left in OT.

Willie Green's fast-break layup made it a one-point game and a Bynum turnover set up West's two free throws for a 108-107 advantage with 15 seconds on the clock.

Bynum responded, driving down the right side before cutting into the lane for the go-ahead layup. Jason Maxiell followed with a steal and dunk to seal the game with less than a second remaining.

"We gave up 59 points in the second half before overtime and we just couldn't guard the ball tonight," said Hornets head coach Monty Williams. "All they did was attack and kick out for threes and then we just had some bad execution down the stretch.

"I thought it was a snowball effect tonight."

Paul's double-clutch layup gave the Hornets a three-point game with 1:17 left in regulation. Villanueva made a layup after a timeout to cut it to a one- point game with 62 seconds left.

The Hornets missed two costly free throws during the final minute, while Gordon drained a three to tie the game at 100 with 21.9 seconds left. Paul held the ball for the final shot, but was swatted by Prince to send the game into overtime.

Prince scored 11 points in the first quarter, including a turnaround mid-range jumper to knot the game at 20-20 heading into the second.

New Orleans went on a 10-point burst to finish the first half with a 51-41 lead -- its largest of the game.

Gordon hit back-to-back threes to open the second half, then Villanueva drained a long ball for a nine-point run that cut the deficit to one point.

The Hornets got their lead back up to nine, however, thanks to Paul's three- pointer with 27 seconds left in the third. Gordon answered with a trey to trim Detroit's deficit to 78-72 heading into the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

New Orleans holds a 5-8 record on the road...Pistons guard Tracy McGrady did not play in the second half because of a pulled groin. Meanwhile, Detroit was shorthanded to start the game as Richard Hamilton (upset stomach) and Rodney Stuckey (toe) did not suit up.