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Paul, Hornets get rare road win vs. Wizards

Mar 12, 2009 - 3:13 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Chris Paul recorded a triple-double with 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as the New Orleans Hornets blitzed the Washington Wizards in the third quarter en route to a 109-98 victory on Wednesday night.

"He's not only a great basketball player, he's a very humble young man," Hornets coach Byron Scott said.

"If you ever met his mother and father, you would understand why. A very respectful young man on and off the court. He's a coach's dream. I couldn't ask for a better player to have to lead our team than Chris Paul."

Rasual Butler added 21 points and Tyson Chandler collected 11 and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who outscored the Wizards, 40-22, in the third.

"They turned up the pressure on us both offensively and defensively," Wizards coach Ed Tapscott said. "You can't give up 40 points in a quarter."

The onslaught after halftime helped New Orleans snap its four-game losing streak on the road against Washington, which had not lost a meeting with the Hornets at the Verizon Center since April 14, 2004.

The Hornets, who had their season-high, seven-game winning streak snapped Monday, faced a one-point deficit at intermission, after which they applied the pressure.

New Orleans took the lead for good, 57-55, on Paul's layup with 6:48 left.

"Yeah, it's crazy," said Paul, who recorded his league-leading sixth triple-double. "I don't know, but I think I might have had a triple-double last time we played them, too. But I don't know. I mean, I'm just happy we won."

After a timeout, the Hornets went on an 11-1 run to take control of the game.

Dominic McGuire scored a bucket after the stoppage of play, but New Orleans then scored nine quick points, using one 3-pointer each by James Posey and Butler after a three-point play from Chandler.

Paul capped the burst with an 18-foot jumper to give the Hornets a 68-57 lead with with 4:48 left, forcing another timeout by the struggling Wizards.

"We just played a little bit better when we needed to," Paul said. "We got off to a slow start, and this is a team that's dangerous. They really have nothing to lose right now and they're talented.

"They have a lot of guys who can handle the ball, and we started defending at the right time."

David West had 13 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans, which led by 17 points after three quarters and held off one final push by Washington in the fourth.

"When you give yourself a large deficit against a quality team, you can't always claw your way back into the game," Tapscott said. "They came up with a critical play whenever they needed to get a play to stop our runs."

Antawn Jamison collected 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost five of six.