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Paul helps Hornets crush 76ers

Nov 12, 2007 - 2:58 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Chris Paul helped the New Orleans Hornets get back on track Sunday.

Paul scored 16 points and dished out nine assists and Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 rebounds as the Hornets avoided a three-game losing skid, cruising to a 93-72 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Bobby Jackson added 12 points and Peja Stojakovic chipped in 10 for New Orleans, which shot 47 percent (37-of-78) from the field and forced 17 turnovers.

The Hornets used late runs in the first and second quarter and timely 3-point shooting to pull away from the Sixers, who were looking for their first back-to-back wins this season.

Paul admitted that New Orleans has its most success when it opts to push the pace.

"We understand that we are a running team," Paul said. "The only way that we are able to run is when we defend. We did a good job forcing their whole team into tough shots. And that enabled us to get out and run."

After Philadelphia took a 22-15 lead with 2 1/2 minutes to go in the first quarter, New Orleans capped an 8-2 run on Paul's put-back as time expired to pull with one.

With the game knotted at 31-31 in the second quarter, New Orleans went on a 9-0 run when Jannero Pargo hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Jackson added another.

From there on, the contest was never in doubt. After baskets by Andre Miller and Samuel Dalembert pulled the Sixers within 42-35, the Hornets closed the quarter with another late scoring run.

Paul's 3-pointer with 53 ticks left and a basket by David West with eight-tenths of a second to go capped an 11-2 run, giving New Orleans a 51-37 lead at the break. West scored 10 of his 16 points in the first half.

"We wanted to make sure that coming out of the half that we we're up," West said. "We wanted to continue to make sure that we stayed up and give ourselves a cushion."

The Hornets all but sealed the victory when Stojakovic's 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run in the third quarter to open a 71-48 advantage with 3:54 left.

"He made a couple of key buckets for us," Hornets coach Byron Scott said of Stojakovic. "He'll miss three of four shots, then all of a sudden, he'll knock down a basket that you really need."

The Hornets outscored the Sixers, 54-30, in the second and third quarter combined as they took a 77-54 lead into the final 12 minutes.

"Our guys are starting to learn that when you have a team down, you got to keep them down," Scott said. "Last year, (Philadelphia) would have gotten back in the game, and I would have had to put the starters back in."

The Hornets shot 10-of-21 from the arc after averaging just over eight 3-pointers through the first six games of the season.

"We've been shooting the three real well all season," Scott said. "We use it as a weapon and we got guys who can shoot it. We want to get good ball movement and get guys where they catch it in rhythm. Tonight, we were able to do that."

"We share the ball really well," Paul added. "We have a lot of real great shooters. When guys are making shots, we're a really tough team to defend. We're clicking on all cylinders inside and outside."

The 76ers were led by Andre Iguodala, who finished with 17 points. Dalembert also had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which shot just 40 percent (30-of-74) and connected on just two 3-pointers.

"We didn't have the energy that we needed tonight," Iguodala said. "It was always at one level - about a five, and we needed it at 10. It's not about making shots, it's about bringing energy."