NBA Game Summary - Seattle at New Orleans/Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, OK (Basketball News) - Chris Paul scored 21 points and dished out six assists in leading the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to a 104-99 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Marc Jackson added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets, who pulled within two games of Sacramento for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Desmond Mason also notched a double-double in the win with 17 points and 10 boards, while Speedy Claxton and Kirk Snyder each chipped in 10 points.

Ray Allen guided Seattle in defeat with a game-high 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Rashard Lewis turned in 20 points, as the SuperSonics dropped their second game in a row.

The SuperSonics shot 54.5 percent from the field and used a 10-4 spurt to open up a 29-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Trailing 41-30, the Hornets went on a 15-4 run to the tie the score at 45-45 with 5.39 remaining in the second the quarter. A Marc Jackson three-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in the quarter gave New Orleans/Oklahoma City a 58-56 lead at the break.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City outscored Seattle 25-21 in the third quarter to take a 83-77 advantage into the final frame.

The Hornets extended their lead to as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before Seattle fought back and pulled within three at 100-97 with 58.3 seconds left. Paul, however, hit a jumper with 35.6 seconds left and a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining to seal the victory for New Orleans/Oklahoma City.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City, which snapped a brief two-game slide with the win, converted 26-of-33 free-throw attempts in the game.