National Basketball Association
New Orleans 109, Phoenix 97
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, April 8, 2011
Where: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials:
#24 Mike Callahan, #51 Leroy Richardson, #65 Sean Wright
Attendance:
14950
By SportsDirect Inc.
Willie Green scored a season-high 31 points and sparked a fourth-quarter surge as the New Orleans Hornets posted a 109-97 home victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Trevor Ariza added 21 points and Chris Paul delivered 12 assists for the Hornets (46-33), who shot 55.6 percent in winning their third straight. New Orleans remained one-half game behind Portland for sixth and a game ahead of eighth-place Memphis -- the Blazers and Grizzlies were also victorious Friday.
Green made all six shots for 16 points in the first half and finished 12 of 17, including 5 of 6 from behind the arc, and six points shy of his career high.
Jared Dudley had 18 points and seven rebounds for the sinking Suns (38-41), who played without Steve Nash and have dropped seven of nine.
In a first half in which the teams combined to shoot 55 percent, Green and Ariza scored four points apiece during an 8-2 closing run that provided the Hornets a 59-53 lead.
The Hornets went up 14 early in the third, but the Suns got within six entering the fourth before Green went to work again. The shooting guard drained three 3-pointers and a pair of jumpers during a blitz that pushed the edge back to 19 with five minutes left.
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
New Orleans |
|
Jared Dudley 18 |
Scoring |
Willie Green 31 |
|
Aaron Brooks 9 |
Assists |
Chris Paul 12 |
|
Jared Dudley 7 |
Rebounds |
Trevor Ariza 8 |
|
Aaron Brooks 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Emeka Okafor 4 |
|
Vince Carter 3 |
Steals |
Trevor Ariza 3 |
|
Vince Carter 1 |
Blocks |
Emeka Okafor 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Phoenix
|
97 |
50.0 |
6-16 |
19-24 |
19 |
36 |
3 |
7 |
15 |
| New Orleans
|
109 |
55.6 |
8-15 |
11-18 |
31 |
37 |
5 |
10 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Hornets have a W/L % of .622 after a win and .529 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Suns have a W/L % of .447 after a win and .512 after a loss.
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