NBA Game Summary - Sacramento at New Orleans/Oklahoma City

11.2.2005

Oklahoma City, OK (Basketball News) - P.J. Brown scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets opened the regular season and their new home with a 93-67 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Ford Center.

Rookie Chris Paul, the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft, had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Hornets, who opened a 44-33 lead at the half and cruised the rest of the way.

The team was relocated from New Orleans to Oklahoma City following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, which caused damage to the New Orleans Arena. During the summer, Oklahoma City Council members approved a lease that would allow the Hornets to play 35 of their 41-game home schedule and all playoff games at the 19,675-seat arena.

The Hornets are scheduled to play their six remaining home games at the Pete Maravich Center on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.

J.R. Smith had 19 points, Speedy Claxton scored 17 and David West put in eight points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who outrebounded the Kings, 52-36.

Peja Stojakovic had 18 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim chipped in 14 for the Kings, who shot a woeful 31.3 percent from the field.

The Hornets, who finished 18-64 last season, were ahead 22-21 at the end of the first quarter. Twelve straight points from the Hornets extended their lead to 34-23 in the second, with Brown’s jumper capping the burst with under five minutes left in the half. The lead would stand at 44-31 at intermission.

A 14-2 spurt in the third quarter extended the Hornets’ lead to 60-38 and head coach Byron Scott’s team cruised the rest of the way.

Paul, who was a star guard at Wake Forest, was 3-of-7 from the floor and made all six of his free throws. The Hornets shot 47.9 percent from the field and won despite committing two more turnovers (20-18) than the Kings, who have high hopes this season after being knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Western Conference playoffs by Seattle.

The Kings went 3-of-13 from three-point range...Bonzi Wells had just six points on 2-of-11 shooting for Sacramento...The Kings have still won eight of the last 11 meetings between the teams.

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