Published November 20, 2014
Emeka Okafor had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Hornets beat the New Jersey Nets 105-91 on Wednesday night to snap a two-game skid.
Chris Paul added 12 points and 14 assists for New Orleans. The Hornets built a 22-point lead in the second half and cruised from there.
David West and Marcus Thornton each scored 18 points and Marco Belinelli added 14 for the Hornets, who shot 53.9 percent (41 of 76) and made eight of 16 3-point attempts.
New Orleans also outrebounded New Jersey 48-30.
Devin Harris had 21 points and eight assists for New Jersey, which led briefly in the first half but by no more than a point. Harris scored on an array of jump shots and slashing drives that wrong-footed Hornets defenders on several occasions. He just didn't have enough help.
Brook Lopez had 16 points, while Sasha Vujacic added 12 and Derrick Favors 10 for the Nets, who shot 45.7 percent (37 of 81).
The Hornets led 57-70 after West hit a turnaround 3-pointer at the horn to close out a closely contested first half.
New Jersey was as close as 59-55 after Harris opened the third quarter with a pull-up jumper and a 3.
Soon after, however, Paul fed Trevor Ariza for a short, driving floater that ignited a 17-4 Hornets run. West hit a pair of jumpers during the surge, Paul added a short floater and Belinelli hit a jumper and a 3.
Thornton, who hit four of five 3-point attempts, made one of them at the end of the third quarter, putting New Orleans up 83-63.
The Nets, who came in having won two straight and three of four, dropped to 3-13 on the road, while the Hornets improved to 12-3 at home.
NOTES: Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu attended the game together, speaking to reporters at halftime in an effort to drum up more local support for the Hornets. The league recently took over the club intends to sell it, preferably to a buyer who would continue to operate the club in New Orleans. Jindal said the Hornets need to average a little more than 15,000 for the next nine games to void an early escape clause in the club's lease at the state-owned arena. The announced attendance was 15,423. ... Hornets G Willie Green missed his second straight game as he attends to family matters in Detroit stemming from the recent death of his sister and cousin, who were killed in a car wreck.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/okafor-leads-hornets-past-nets-105-91