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Pargo notches season high as Hornets top Magic in overtime

Jan 17, 2007 - 6:28 AM OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- Jannero Pargo came up big when it mattered most.

Pargo scored 21 of his season-high 25 points in the second half and overtime and Desmond Mason added 21 points and nine rebounds as the New Orleans Hornets posted an 84-78 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic for their third straight win.

Rasual Butler collected 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who held the Magic to just one field goal in the extra period.

"At the start of the overtime, our players were talking to each other saying how we were going to win this game," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "I think they feel they let the game get away from them in the fourth quarter. We came out and did a great job of getting stops. We hung in there and kept playing tough and got the victory."

Butler recorded his first double-double of the season.

"I'm trying to do all I can to help us win," Butler said. "Everyone knows my strength is scoring the ball, but I'm not going to have it every night, so I have to find other ways to chip in."

In his fifth year, Pargo is flourishing in his first season with the Hornets. Entering Tuesday's contest averaging 10.9 points per game, his highest since the 2003-04 season with Chicago, Pargo shouldered the scoring load for the Hornets.

"We really needed this win," Pargo said. "My teammates did a good job of recognizing that I had the hot hand and they got me the ball in good position to put up a good clean shot, and I was able to knock them down."

A 6-1 guard, Pargo shot 10-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-4 from arc. He was unstoppable after halftime, scoring on a combination of soft jumpers and acrobatic drives to the basket.

"What can I say? I had a hand in (Pargo's) face and I got the ball on the way up a couple times," Orlando guard Jameer Nelson said. "He just made tough shots. Guys like him have a chance to showcase themselves with the injuries they have, and he did that."

Trailing, 75-73, with 10 seconds remaining, Orlando had numerous chances to tie or win the game down the stretch. After Nelson's missed jumper and Grant Hill's errant follow shot, Dwight Howard was fouled in an attempt to tip in the go-ahead basket.

After making his first free throw, Howard missed the second, but Darko Milicic was fouled by Hornets center Tyson Chandler with six seconds remaining. Milicic made one of two to tie the game, 75-75.

"We didn't have a good shooting night," Howard said. "We had a chance to win it in regulation and we didn't get it done. I don't know if that carried over into the overtime, but we weren't very aggressive at the end of the game."

Orlando shot 15-of-23 from the foul line.

"One thing that killed us was our free throws, not just at the end," Nelson said. "Dwight and Darko played their butts off, so you can't blame them, if we would have hit our free throws, or made some shots early in the game it wouldn't have come down to that."

On the final possession of regulation, Butler had his potential game-winning layup blocked by Milicic to send the game into overtime.

Howard had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who shot just 35 percent (29-of-83) to suffer their third straight loss.

"With a team that is playing like they have been the last few games, we can't afford to not play well," Howard said. "This is a team we should beat, especially with them missing the guys that they are."