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West, Hornets top Pacers with impressive fourth quarter

Nov 4, 2006 - 2:48 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- David West looks to be worth his new contract.

West scored 20 points and Rasual Butler added all 11 of his in the decisive fourth quarter as the New Orleans Hornets posted a 100-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Chris Paul added 16 points and Tyson Chandler grabbed 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who outrebounded the Pacers, 53-34, and made Peja Stojakovic's return to Indiana a fun one.

"Anytime you can get a win on the road, it's always good," Chandler said. "It was really a scrappy game. We knew that it was going to be physical and we met the challenge.

"They made their run in the third quarter and we were able to sustain our momentum and get the win. Definitely a collective effort."

West was signed to a multi-year contract extension Monday, which prevents him from becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He led the Hornets in scoring at 17.1 points per game last season.

On Friday, the 6-9 forward shot 8-of-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, holding his own against All-Star Jermaine O'Neal.

"We're going to have to pick up some wins on the road in order to be ready to ride out the season," said West, who helped the Hornets win Wednesday at Boston.

Trailing, 72-69, after three quarters, the Hornets used a 14-2 run to begin the final period and take control.

In his return, Stojakovic scored just eight points. The 6-10 sharpshooter, who played 40 games for the Pacers last season, was mildly booed during pregame introductions.

"(Starting) 2-0 is 2-0," Stojakovic said. "My game is not there yet, but we got the win. It's always nice to still get the win when you are struggling."

O'Neal scored 25 points and Stephen Jackson added 14 for the Pacers, who shot just 40 percent (32-of-80) and has displayed a porous defense.

"I think we're concentrating more on our offense than on our defense. That's a fact," O'Neal said. "This is a very talented league and you have to respect every single player that checks into the game.

"Every time you looked up in the fourth quarter, there was somebody driving the lane on us and that's just us needing to help each other out. It was a lesson for us tonight."