West, Hornets down Rockets in Big Easy

Chris Paul had 12 points and tied a career-high with 16 assists and Peja Stojakovic added 16 points for the Hornets, who have started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

"Out of the first three game, none of them have been pretty, but we’re getting the job done," said Hornets coach Byron Scott.

After playing only three games in New Orleans last season due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets will play five more regular-season games at New Orleans Arena in 2006-07 and 35 other home games - plus any playoff contests - in Oklahoma City.

Shane Battier had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Yao Ming added 17 points and 10 boards for the Rockets, who have dropped both of their road games this season so far.

The Rockets had a 13-10 lead halfway through the first after Battier drained a three-pointer, but the Hornets closed the quarter with a 16-2 run and Paul’s layup at the buzzer gave his team a 26-15 advantage going into the second.

Houston started the second quarter with a 13-2 burst and tied the game when Kirk Snyder hit a free throw to complete a three-point play with 7:28 left until halftime.

However, Bobby Jackson scored the next five points for Hornets and the team took a 48-42 lead into the locker room.

The Hornets shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the first 24 minutes while the Rockets were a measly 34.1 percent shooting.

The Rockets came out in the third quarter with a 14-4 burst, capped by two free throws from Yao, for a 56-52 lead with 6:37 left in the quarter. The Hornets, though, bounced back and a free throw by Desmond Mason in the closing moments of the quarter gave the Hornets a 71-70 lead going into the fourth.

Houston took a 77-76 lead in the fourth when Luther Head drained a jumper with a little over nine minutes left in the game.

New Orleans responded by scoring the next eight points and had an 84-77 lead when Rasual Butler hit a jumper with 7:30 to play.

The Rockets made a valiant effort to get back into the game and cut the score to 94-90 with 6.7 seconds to play on a Rafer Alston jumper, but two free throws by West sealed the win.

Game Notes

The game was attended by NBA commissioner David Stern...Houston travels to Memphis for a game on Tuesday...The Hornets return to Oklahoma City to face Golden State as the first installment of a home-and-home series on Tuesday...The Hornets have won five of their last six games against Houston...The Hornets finished the game shooting 47.1 percent, including 9- of-16 from beyond-the-arc, while Houston shot just 40.5 percent.