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Hornets move to 11-1 with win over Kings

Nov 22, 2010 - 6:45 AM Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Hornets shot poorly but still pulled out a 75-71 win over the Sacramento Kings behind 17 points from David West and 16 from Trevor Ariza.

New Orleans improved to 11-1 on the season despite shooting a woeful 32.2 percent from the field. Chris Paul made up for a 2-for-12 effort with 14 assists.

"I think this game tonight really shows what our [modus operandi] is, and that is hanging our hats on the defensive end," Paul said. "We were joking about how bad we shot the ball. We understand that defense is going to win us games."

Donte Greene recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Kings, who committed 21 turnovers to end a 1-3 homestand.

Tyreke Evans finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists, and his layup with 4:37 remaining in the game gave Sacramento a 68-66 lead.

Ariza answered with a three-pointer and West followed with back-to-back buckets, the last coming with 42.7 seconds left for a 73-68 edge.

DeMarcus Cousins converted a three-point play 10.3 seconds later to make it a one-possession game, and the Kings had a shot to grab a Paul miss at the other end. West, however, came away with the loose ball, and two Marco Belinelli free throws with 6.4 ticks to go sealed New Orleans' third straight win.

"We struggled a lot on the offensive end, but we did play good defensively against one of the best teams in the NBA right now," Cousins said. "We did show improvement. We have to continue to improve. Tonight we had a win but we let it slip away."

An ugly first quarter saw the Kings hold a meager 16-14 advantage, and a similarly-played second stanza ended with an Ariza three-pointer that tied the game, 39-all.

The Hornets scored nine straight points late in the third quarter, with Belinelli's jumper giving the visitors a 55-52 lead that stayed three, 59-56, with 12 minutes to play.

Game Notes

The Hornets played short-handed with new acquisitions Jarrett Jack, Marcus Banks and David Andersen not available for the contest. Saturday's trade sent Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to Toronto...The Hornets have won six of the past seven meetings in the series...Belinelli finished with 12 points, while Luther Head scored 11 for the Kings.