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Playoff-hopeful Hornets down Pacers

Apr 4, 2011 - 2:46 AM New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Trevor Ariza logged 19 points and nine rebounds and Chris Paul added 18 points and eight assists, as the Hornets downed the Pacers, 108-96, in a battle of playoff hopefuls.

The Hornets' fourth win in six games ties them with the Memphis Grizzlies for seventh place in the Western Conference standings. Ninth-place Houston trails both by three games.

Carl Landry scored 11 of his 18 points in a third quarter that helped the Hornets take a commanding 25-point lead.

Indiana had a three-game winning streak snapped but still leads Charlotte by two games for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bobcats lost to Washington earlier Sunday.

"They were too much for us tonight," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said. "We played hard; we just didn't play well."

Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy each had 15 points in the loss.

Dunleavy's tip-in at the buzzer helped Indiana beat the Hornets, 94-93, back in December.

New Orleans made sure Sunday's tilt didn't come down to the wire, ripping off 11 straight points early in the third quarter to extend its lead to 70-46.

The Hornets wound up hitting 11-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line in the third, which ended with the hosts holding a healthy 89-65 advantage.

"We came out aggressive on both ends of the court, and we built up a nice cushion," Paul said. "We had a lot more energy tonight and it made the difference."

The Pacers pulled within 11 late in the game, but that was as close as it got.

New Orleans was up 29-21 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 57-44 by halftime.

Game Notes

Emeka Okafor totaled 14 points with a season-high 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who shot 51 percent from the field...New Orleans held a 48-33 edge on the glass and outscored the Pacers in the paint, 48-34.