• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Paul, Williams face off in key Western Conference tilt

Jan 7, 2009 - 11:36 AM New Orleans (21-10) at Utah (20-15) 9:00 p.m. EST

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- They are forever joined at the hip since being drafted third and fourth overall in 2005. They have turned struggling franchises around and made them into contenders.

On Tuesday, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Utah's Deron Williams square off Wednesday for the first of three meetings this season as the Hornets close out their four-game road trip against the Jazz in a battle between arguably the league's top two point guards.

Now in their fourth pro seasons, Paul and Williams have carried their respective teams into contention - and both have grand designs on challenging the Los Angeles Lakers for Western Conference supremacy. When it comes to facing each other, Williams has had the upper hand so far, winning eight of 10 meetings.

He has averaged 17.5 points and 7.6 assists in his career against the Hornets, shooting 54 percent from the field - including 42 percent from 3-point range. In a victory at EnergySolutions Arena on February 4, Williams posted 29 points and 11 assists in a 110-88 rout, shooting 11-of-13 while holding Paul to an uncharacteristically poor showing in which he had six points on 3-of-11 shooting, six assists and five turnovers.

This season, however, Paul clearly has had the edge. While Williams has battled through a fairly severe ankle sprain, Paul once again has garnered mention for the league's MVP honors.

He registered 32 points and 15 assists without committing a turnover to lead the Hornets to a 116-105 road victory over the Lakers on Tuesday.

New Orleans has won five of six overall, including triumphs over fellow contenders Houston and Portland.

Neither the Jazz nor Williams have had the same kind of consistency this season. Utah has missed more than 100 man games from the likes of Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko and seems to be a different team from night to night.

Williams has carried the Jazz as far as they have gotten over the last month - when he has begun to finally look somewhat healthy - but has not had the night-to-night consistency he possessed the last two seasons. He had a big game Sunday, however, collecting 25 points and 15 assists as Utah opened its four-game homestand with a 119-114 triumph over Golden State.