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Hornets down Sonics in injury-marred overtime win

Apr 5, 2007 - 6:41 AM OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- The New Orleans Hornets' win may have come at a high cost.

Reserves Bobby Jackson and Rasual Butler combined for all the points in a decisive run to start overtime as the Hornets overcame injuries to three starters to post a 101-92 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Chris Paul, Desmond Mason and Tyson Chandler all left the contest with injuries for the Hornets (35-40), who remained one game behind Golden State (36-39) and 2 1/2 games back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot. Both the Warriors and Clippers won on Wednesday.

Jackson and Butler's magic spurred a 13-3 burst in the first 3:13 of the extra period and helped ease the pain of losing three key players to injury, and overcoming a franchise-worst six-point fourth quarter. Butler hit two 3-pointers and Jackson nailed one from the arc after regulation to put the game out of reach.

"I am very proud of the way we played tonight," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "To go into overtime and shut them down is a sign of our team's ability from top to bottom. I am very proud of how they performed tonight."

"We tried to regroup (after the fourth quarter) and play tough defense and push the ball on offense so we had more time to find a good look," Butler said. "It was our defense that kept us in it. Guys like Bobby Jackson knows what these games mean, he has been in the playoffs every year in his career, and he is going to do everything in his power to make us win, and we all have bought into that idea."

In the fourth, Paul succumbed to an ankle injury as he challenged a shot on the perimeter. Paul, who did not return, finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

The Hornets also lost Chandler late in the first quarter when he re-aggravated a right toe injury and did not return. The second quarter saw the departure of Desmond Mason along with SuperSonics' forward Chris Wilcox, who were both injured on the same play.

As Wilcox attempted to a block a shot, he landed awkwardly on Mason's foot and caught the Hornets' swingman with an elbow in his right eye. Neither player returned.

"We had some things happen to us that we didn't expect, with Tyson and Mase (Desmond Mason) going down and losing Chris Paul late," Scott said. "We've been banged up for a while now and we knew that it was going to bite us sooner or later. Unfortunately for us, it all came tonight. It's basically a time bomb waiting to go off and it hurt us tonight."

Despite trailing as many as 12 points in the fourth, Sonics guard Earl Watson hit a 16-foot jumper with two seconds left to knot the game at 84-84.

"The beginning of the fourth quarter we changed a little bit and we went small," Sonics coach Bob Hill. "We pressed them after makes back to the zone, which kind of disrupted them a little bit, and I thought they got a little passive, and then we got the momentum. We started making shots. Damien (Wilkins) played well in that stretch. Earl pushed it and kept us alive.

The Hornets had one final chance but David West's 12-foot shot as time expired was off the mark.

Rashard Lewis scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a losing cause for the Sonics, who have dropped three straight.