• Recap
• Bleachers

Hornets fend off Bobcats

Jan 16, 2011 - 2:58 AM Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - David West poured in 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds, as the New Orleans Hornets held off the Charlotte Bobcats, 88-81.

Chris Paul added 19 points for the Hornets, who have won four in a row. Trevor Ariza chipped in 11 points for New Orleans, which got 10 points and 10 boards from Emeka Okafor.

Stephen Jackson finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bobcats, who have dropped two straight since a four-game winning streak.

Gerald Wallace donated 15 points for Charlotte, which got 12 points and 14 boards from Kwame Brown. D.J. Augustin added 12 points and seven assists in defeat.

With the score tied at 73-73 with 7:53 to play, the Hornets put together a 13-4 run to claim victory.

West sparked the burst with a three-point play, but Tyrus Thomas responded with two free throws to get the Bobcats within one, 76-75, with 6:38 to go.

The next basket came with 3:54 remaining, when Willie Green made a jumper to give New Orleans a 78-75 edge. Augustin's missed three-pointer and Thomas' turnover led to a Paul trey.

Wallace made a pair of foul shots to get Charlotte within four, 81-77, but Thomas was then called for a flagrant foul type 2 on Okafor. He made both foul shots to give the Hornets a six-point lead with 2:38 to play.

New Orleans maintained the basketball and Boris Diaw fouled West, who made two free throws. After Jackson missed two foul shots, Okafor capped the game- sealing run with 1-of-2 from the line for an 86-77 margin.

Trailing by three, 18-15, midway through the first quarter, the Hornets scored eight straight points. Ariza tallied four points during the surge, which Okafor capped with a tip-in for a 23-18 edge.

New Orleans took a 25-21 margin into the second stanza, and held a 48-42 lead at the break.

The Bobcats used an early burst in the third period to take a 60-56 edge on Wallace's three-point play with 4:19 left. But it was the Hornets who took a 69-67 lead into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Hornets, who called Charlotte home from 1988 through the 2001-02 season, have won four of the past five meetings in the series, including an 89-73 rout in New Orleans on December 1 when Larry Brown was the Bobcats' head coach...New Orleans was without guard Marco Belinelli (ankle)...The Bobcats outrebounded the Hornets, 43-34.