Hornets wrap up homestand vs. T’wolves

The Hornets won the first three games of their current stand before being handed an 89-78 defeat by the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Devin Brown paced New Orleans with 17 points off the bench.

The setback spoiled the return of Chris Paul to the Hornets’ lineup. Last season’s Rookie of the Year had missed the last 17 games with a sprained right ankle, but returned to net nine points with two assists in just over 29 minutes.

New Orleans, which fell to 13-11 at the Ford Center this season, starts a quick two-game road trip on Saturday in Houston.

The slumping Minnesota Timberwolves arrive in Oklahoma City having lost seven of their last nine games. On Wednesday, Kevin Martin’s jumper with 16.6 seconds on the clock proved to be the difference as the Sacramento Kings downed the Timberwolves, 100-98.

Ricky Davis led Minnesota with 24 points, while Garnett scored 18 and grabbed 10 boards for the Timberwolves, who had won their previous two games.

Guard Rashad McCants made his season debut in the game and scored two points in just over four minutes. He had been sidelined for the first 44 games after undergoing microfracuture surgery on his right knee last June.

The tilt against the Hornets is the opener of a three-game road trip for Minnesota, which is 9-14 away from the Target Center. The Timberwolves will also play in Dallas and Houston.

It will be the third meeting between the two teams this year with the clubs splitting the series so far. Each team won on its opponent’s home floor.

New Orleans has won three of the last five meetings, but the Timberwolves have captured nine of the last 12. The Timberwolves have also won four of their last five road games in the series.