Injury-hit Hornets rally to win
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 30, 2009 00:00
LOS ANGELES - The shorthanded New Orleans Hornets put in a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter to beat the visiting Denver Nuggets 94-81 on Wednesday.
Peja Stojakovic led all scorers with 26 points and the Hornets limited their opponents to just 16 points in the final period to win for the fifth time in six contests.
"I think defensively we did a good job all night which is what was required in order to win this game tonight," Hornets coach Byron Scott told reporters. "We did a good job of taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers."
Playing without injured starters David West and Tyson Chandler, New Orleans have had to rally behind leader Chris Paul for the past few games. The All-Star point guard was not at his best but he grabbed 12 points and 10 rebounds while reserve Devin Brown added 18 for the Hornets.
"You just have to be ready in that situation," Brown said. "When you get the opportunity to play you have to take advantage of it."
Kenyon Martin had a 22 points and J.R. Smith contributed 20 for the Nuggets, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
The Hornets improved to 28-14 and are now one game behind the first-place San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division.
"I think defensively we did a good job all night which is what was required in order to win this game tonight," Hornets coach Byron Scott told reporters. "We did a good job of taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers."
Playing without injured starters David West and Tyson Chandler, New Orleans have had to rally behind leader Chris Paul for the past few games. The All-Star point guard was not at his best but he grabbed 12 points and 10 rebounds while reserve Devin Brown added 18 for the Hornets.
"You just have to be ready in that situation," Brown said. "When you get the opportunity to play you have to take advantage of it."
Kenyon Martin had a 22 points and J.R. Smith contributed 20 for the Nuggets, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
The Hornets improved to 28-14 and are now one game behind the first-place San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division.