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Hornets hope to extend winning streak against limping Heat

Nov 21, 2006 - 1:43 PM Miami (4-5) at New Orleans (7-3) 8:00 pm EST

OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) - While the Chris Paul-led New Orleans Hornets have been one of the NBA's early surprise teams, Dwyane Wade and the defending champion Miami Heat simply are trying to keep their heads above water.

Paul and the Hornets aim to extend their three-game winning streak Tuesday when they host the Heat, who will play their fourth straight game without injured center Shaquille O'Neal.

After narrowly missing the postseason in 2005-06, the Hornets have come back emphatically this season, playing stellar defense while showing a propensity to win close games.

Much of that resurgence can be credited to Paul, the reigning Rookie of the Year who is averaging team bests of 19.3 points and 9.3 assists.

Paul scored a career-high 35 points Saturday to lead the Hornets to a 99-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Peja Stojakovic added 20 points for the Hornets, who have four wins this season by four points or fewer.

The first month of the campaign has not been nearly as kind to the Heat, who suffered an embarrassing 42-point blowout loss to Chicago on Opening Night and have struggled to find any rhythm on offense.

Despite the continued stellar play of Wade, who is averaging 27.2 points, Miami has looked out of sync without O'Neal, who underwent a 45-minute procedure to repair torn cartilage in his left knee on Sunday and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Wade matched a season high with 37 points Saturday and drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime to lead the Heat to a 93-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Udonis Haslem added 21 points and a season-best 17 rebounds for Miami, which snapped a three-game skid.