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West's jumper lifts Hornets over Pacers

Dec 29, 2008 - 4:35 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- David West hit a jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining to lift the New Orleans Hornets to a 105-103 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Chris Paul scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and collected 12 assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Hornets, who topped the century mark in scoring for the first time since December 10.

"We've got one of those team's that, when it's winning time, it's winning time," Paul said. "That's the way I feel. We practice those situations day in and day out in practice. We're one of those teams that knows what we want to do down the stretch, and we usually execute."

One of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, the Pacers have allowed an average of 110 points in 14 games this month, going 4-10.

After Paul gave the Hornets a 103-101 lead with a jumper with 30 seconds remaining, Danny Granger drew a foul and hit both free throws to tie the game with 27 seconds left.

New Orleans worked the clock down before West curled underneath the basket and came out on the left side, draining a 17-foot jumper to clinch the victory. West finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

"I got on the baseline, knew the shot clock was running down, and I was about to take a bad shot," Paul said. "Then I got the ball to West standing there for the shot, because that's what he do. I've got it to him the last two games and he knocked them down."

"We got lucky at the end there to have the last possession West said. I thought (Paul) was going to shoot it, but at the last second, he was able to get it to me."

Indiana led, 94-88, after Granger hit a jumper with 4:48 remaining, but James Posey and Paul scored all the points during a 12-3 run over the next three minutes to put the Hornets back on top, 101-97.

Posey scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.

"We moved the ball and coach Scott drew up some plays. I guess we had it going a little bit," Posey said. "(Paul) did a great job getting shots for himself and loosening things up for other guys. I happened to be on the other end of it."

Rasho Nesterovic and Marquis Daniels scored on back-to-back possessions to knot the score at 101-101.

Granger, who left Friday's game at Memphis with a mild concussion, led the way with 34 points on 12-of-23 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.

"They (the close losses) are very demoralizing," Granger admitted. "We've been so close and can't get over the hump. We've had some tough losses on last second shots in games where we were tied or up one. We're right there."

Rookie center Roy Hibbert added a career-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 18 minutes for the Pacers, who have lost three in a row.

"It's a learning process," Hibbert said. "I've got to get the rookie stuff behind me and stay out of foul trouble. I'd like to play more."