Kings-Hornets Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Oct 29 2009 11:45PM

For a team hoping to compete with the other Western Conference powers, the New Orleans Hornets came out flat in their opener.

The Sacramento Kings also didn't play well in their first game, but that's not much of a surprise.

The Hornets try to bounce back from a disappointing loss Friday night when they host a Kings team that finished with the league's worst record last season.

With the emergence of Chris Paul as one of the league's best players, New Orleans is expected to make a third straight trip to the playoffs.

Paul and the Hornets were eliminated by Denver in a first-round series last season, but the team is hoping to make a deeper run with the addition of Emeka Okafor as an inside scoring presence.

In Wednesday's season opener against San Antonio, Paul had 26 points and nine assists while Okafor finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds but New Orleans lost 113-96.

A sloppy start was a big reason for the defeat. The Hornets missed 16 consecutive shots in one stretch as the Spurs went on a 23-1 run.

"We know we still have a long way to go and we have some work to do, but we already realized this was going to be a work in progress," coach Bryon Scott said. "It's going to take some time. I did like some of the things that I saw, and we will continue to work on some things that we know we need work on."

Cleaning up some of their defensive mistakes should be one of their top priorities.

New Orleans had trouble slowing down the Spurs, who shot 52.3 percent from the floor and scored 44 points in the paint.

Defense was one of the Hornets' strengths last season, when they were fifth in scoring (94.3) and seventh in field-goal percentage (45.0).

While the defense wasn't up to par, Scott was impressed with the play of Okafor. Acquired in a trade with Charlotte in July, Okafor played 29 minutes and shot 8 of 14 from the floor after sitting out the preseason with an injured toe.

"He's pretty good," Scott said. "He's like a magnet for that ball."

David West also had a solid opener, finishing with 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting with nine rebounds and three steals.

In the Hornets' last game against the Kings - a 111-110 win in Sacramento on March 31 - West matched a career high with 40 points and Paul added 15 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

Paul averaged 24.0 points and 13.0 assists in four games against the Kings last season with the Hornets winning three.

Sacramento is coming off a 102-89 loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday in Paul Westphal's debut as coach.

Westphal was hired in June to replace interim coach Kenny Natt after the Kings finished with an NBA-low 17 wins last season.

Kevin Martin, seventh in the league with a 24.6-scoring average last season, finished with 27 points Wednesday, but just three after halftime. He shot 5 of 19 from the floor.

Tyreke Evans also didn't have much success from the field. The No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft, shot 5 for 16 for 10 points in 35 minutes.

"They're going to get better," Westphal said. "All we ever want to do is get better, and after that game, it should be pretty easy to see some improvement.''

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Paul, Okafor lift Hornets past Kings, 97-92

By BRETT MARTEL, for NBA.com Posted Oct 31 2009 12:21AM

NEW ORLEANS(AP) Who needs the preseason?

Emeka Okafor, a year-round fitness fanatic, missed it and seems to be doing fine.

Chris Paul scored 31 points and Okafor capped another strong performance with two key blocks in the final seconds to help the New Orleans Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings 97-92 on Friday night.

``I'm just happy that I was able to contribute, considering that I didn't have a preseason, that I could come in, have a couple decent starts and kind of put everybody's mind at ease,'' said Okafor, who came to New Orleans in a trade that sent Tyson Chandler to Charlotte. ``It was on my mind, having a decent first impression to just kind of calm everybody's nerves.''

After sitting out training camp and all eight preseason games with a sprained toe, Okafor returned for the Hornets' season-opening loss in San Antonio and was one of the bright spots with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

As the Hornets prepared to play their home opener against Sacramento, coach Byron Scott, known for his grueling training camps, smiled when asked what Okafor's debut told him, replying that his training camp and preseason apparently don't mean much.

Okafor then more or less went out and proved that very point against the Kings with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for his second straight double-double. Paul scored 13 of New Orleans' last 17 points and David West added 13 points for the Hornets.

Tyreke Evans scored 22 points and Kevin Martin added 20 for Sacramento, which led 91-88 on Martin's running floater off the glass.

Paul then hit the shot of the game, a spinning layin off the glass as he was fouled while absorbing a knee to the groin. After bending over at the waist for a few seconds, Paul went to the line and made the free throw to tie it at 91 with 1:16 to go.

New Orleans led 93-91 on Okafor's one-handed follow jam of Paul's missed jumper. Sacramento's Jon Brockman missed his second of two free throws and Jason Thompson got his 12th rebound to give the Kings another possession, trailing 93-92 with 15.2 seconds left.

Evans dribbled toward the lane, but his mid-range jumper was blocked by Okafor and Paul snagged the loose ball before being fouled and hitting both free throws to make it 95-92 with 5.9 seconds left.

Sacramento then got the ball to Martin for an attempted 3 in the corner and Okafor made another key block. The Hornets quickly got the ball to Paul, who hit two more foul shots.

``It was an unbelievable block by Emeka,'' Paul said. ``I told him I was going to stay with Kevin, but he actually lost me for a second. Emeka helped me.''

Julian Wright scored 11 points in his new role as a starter and was providing pressure on Okafor's block of Evans. Peja Stojakovic, now coming off the bench behind Wright, had 10 points.

Andres Nocioni had 16 points for the Kings, who won an NBA-worst 17 games last season and are still looking for their first victory under new coach Paul Westphal.

``I'm very proud of them,'' Westphal said. ``They proved they can compete. It's the little things we need to learn as a team. ... We were in position to win the game. They closed the deal and we didn't.''

Sacramento outrebounded New Orleans 52-43, but shot only 37.5 percent (36 of 96), was outscored 26-13 at the free throw line and was held to 30.4 percent shooting in the second half (14 of 46). New Orleans shot 45.2 percent (33 of 73) for the game and had nine blocks.

The Kings led by eight points when Beno Udrih's 3-pointer capped an 8-2 run late in the third quarter to put the Kings up 73-65. Paul's driving layup and 3-pointer with a second left in the period helped the Hornets pull to 75-72.

Stojakovic's second 3-pointer of the game and Darius Songaila's fadeaway evened the score at 77 with 9:25 left, marking one of 15 ties in the game.

NOTES: Paul is averaging 28.5 points through two games. ... Former LSU star Marcus Thornton was inactive for the second time for New Orleans. Scott said that although Thornton is a good shooter, he still has a lot to learn in terms of positional play on both ends of the court. ... The Hornets are 6-1 in home openers in the New Orleans Arena. ... The Kings play next Saturday night in San Antonio, their third straight road game to open the season before they return home Monday night against Memphis. ... The announced attendance was 17,306, officially a sellout.

• Kings: Garcia, Thomas
• Hornets: Diogu, Marks, Thornton

• Kings: --
• Hornets: --

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 15

• Arena: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #23 Jason Phillips, #31 Scott Wall
• Attendance: 17306
• Duration: 2:15

Sacramento Kings (14-20)		New Orleans Hornets (17-16)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Okafor vs Thompson (Paul gains possession)
	11:38	Okafor Jump Shot: Missed
	11:37	Wright Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:25	West Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	11:25
Mason Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: May (1 AST)	11:14 [SAC 2-0]
	10:57	Wright Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Evans (1 ST)
	10:53	West Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
May Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	10:53 [SAC 3-0]
May Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	10:53
	10:52	Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:42 [NOH 2-3]	Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)
Thompson Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Evans (1 AST)	10:26 [SAC 5-2]
	10:09 [NOH 4-5]	West Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wright (1 AST)
Martin 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Thompson (1 AST)	09:57 [SAC 8-4]
	09:45	Peterson Jump Shot: Missed
Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:44
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	09:31
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	09:30
May Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)	09:25
	09:10 [NOH 6-8]	Wright Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Okafor (1 AST)
Evans Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Thompson (2 AST)	08:49 [SAC 10-6]
	08:37	Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:May (1 ST)
Mason Layup Shot: Missed	08:32
	08:31	Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	08:14 [NOH 8-10]	Peterson Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Okafor (2 AST)
Evans Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:46 [SAC 12-8]
	07:37	Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed
	07:36	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
May Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	07:31
	07:31 [NOH 9-12]	West Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	07:31 [NOH 10-12]	West Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
May Jump Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Martin (1 AST)	07:14 [SAC 14-10]
	07:01	Wright Jump Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:00
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	06:45
	06:44	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
Thompson Foul : Personal (1 PF)	06:39
	06:31	Paul Jump Shot: Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	06:30
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	06:24
Thompson Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	06:23
May Jump Shot: Missed	06:10
	06:08	West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	05:53	Team Timeout : Regular
Mason Substitution replaced by Hawes	05:53
Thompson Substitution replaced by Casspi	05:53
May Substitution replaced by Brockman	05:53
	05:53	Peterson Substitution replaced by Stojakovic
	05:53	Paul Substitution replaced by Brown
	05:45 [NOH 12-14]	West Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Hawes Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:West (2 ST)	05:32
Brockman Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	05:25
	05:25 [NOH 13-14]	Stojakovic Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	05:25 [NOH 14-14]	Stojakovic Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
	05:07	Brown Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Hawes Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	05:03 [SAC 16-14]
	04:46 [NOH 16-16]	Stojakovic Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)
Evans Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)	04:29 [SAC 18-16]
	04:19	Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:18
Casspi Jump Shot: Missed	04:12
Team Rebound	04:12
	04:12	Stojakovic Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
	04:12	Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong
Casspi Substitution replaced by Nocioni	04:12
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	04:03
Brockman Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	04:02
Martin Layup Shot: Missed	03:59
	03:58	Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Hawes Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:53
	03:53 [NOH 17-18]	Wright Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	03:53	Wright Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
	03:51	Wright Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	03:47 [NOH 20-18]	Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Wright (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	03:32
	03:32	Wright Substitution replaced by Posey
Evans Substitution replaced by Udrih	03:32
Udrih 3pt Shot: Missed	03:20
	03:19	Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Hawes Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	03:19
	03:19	Armstrong Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	03:19	Team Rebound
Hawes Substitution replaced by May	03:19
	03:19	Armstrong Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	03:18
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: May (2 AST)	03:03 [SAC 21-20]
	02:41	Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	02:40
Martin Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Udrih (1 AST)	02:30 [SAC 23-20]
	02:14 [NOH 22-23]	Posey Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (1 AST)
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	01:48
	01:47	West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	01:33 [NOH 24-23]	Posey Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
May Dunk Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Nocioni (1 AST)	01:08 [SAC 25-24]
	00:56.9	Brown 3pt Shot: Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	00:55.7
Brockman Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Udrih (2 AST)	00:44.6 [SAC 27-24]
	00:44.6	Armstrong Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Brockman Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	00:44.6
Brockman Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	00:42.9
Martin Layup Shot: Missed Block: West (1 BLK)	00:38.0
Team Rebound	00:38.0
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	00:34.9
Brockman Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)	00:33.9
Brockman Layup Shot: Missed Block: Armstrong (1 BLK)	00:32.9
	00:31.5	West Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Brockman Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:12.5
	00:12.5	Armstrong Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:12.5	Team Rebound
Brockman Substitution replaced by Casspi	00:12.5
	00:12.5 [NOH 25-27]	Armstrong Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 1st Quarter
Sacramento Kings (14-20)		New Orleans Hornets (17-16)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Udrih (3 AST)	11:44 [SAC 30-25]
	11:24	Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed
	11:22	Team Rebound
	11:12	Posey Layup Shot: Missed
	11:12	Songaila Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:10 [NOH 27-30]	Songaila Tip Shot: Made (2 PTS)
	10:55	Brown Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	10:55	Brown Substitution replaced by Paul
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	10:44
	10:42	Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Udrih Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	10:37
	10:37 [NOH 28-30]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
Udrih Substitution replaced by Evans	10:37
	10:37	Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor
	10:37 [NOH 29-30]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Nocioni Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Thompson (3 AST)	10:15 [SAC 32-29]
	09:57 [NOH 31-32]	Okafor Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Stojakovic (1 AST)
Evans 3pt Shot: Missed	09:45
Team Rebound	09:45
	09:45	Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Wright
Casspi Jump Shot: Missed	09:39
	09:38	Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Evans Foul : Personal (1 PF)	09:34
	09:31	Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Evans (2 ST)
	09:31	Paul Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
May Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	09:16
	09:00	Songaila Jump Shot: Missed
	09:00	Wright Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)
May Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	09:00
	09:00 [NOH 32-32]	Wright Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
May Substitution replaced by Hawes	09:00
Casspi Substitution replaced by Martin	09:00
	09:00 [NOH 33-32]	Wright Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Hawes 3pt Shot: Missed	08:48
	08:46	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	08:31	Wright Jump Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:30
Nocioni Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)	08:24 [SAC 34-33]
Nocioni Foul : Personal (1 PF)	08:05
	08:05	Timeout : Official
	07:59 [NOH 35-34]	Paul Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Hawes Jump Shot: Missed	07:29
	07:28	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	07:19 [NOH 37-34]	Okafor Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST)
Martin Running Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS)	07:03 [SAC 36-37]
	06:49 [NOH 39-36]	Okafor Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Thompson Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)	06:30 [SAC 38-39]
	06:30	Okafor Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Thompson Free Throw 1 of 1 (5 PTS)	06:30 [SAC 39-39]
	06:27	Paul Foul : Offensive (2 PF)
	06:27	Paul Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	06:17
	06:15	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	06:11 [NOH 41-39]	Wright Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Paul (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	05:59
Thompson Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Martin (2 AST)	05:47 [SAC 41-41]
	05:30	Okafor Jump Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	05:29
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	05:13
	05:12	Songaila Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	05:06	Wright Jump Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:04
Hawes Layup Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (1 BLK)	04:49
Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	04:46
Martin Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)	04:44 [SAC 43-41]
Evans Foul : Personal (2 PF)	04:39
Nocioni Substitution replaced by Casspi	04:39
	04:39 [NOH 42-43]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
Hawes Substitution replaced by Brockman	04:39
	04:39	Songaila Substitution replaced by West
	04:39	Posey Substitution replaced by Peterson
	04:39 [NOH 43-43]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
Casspi 3pt Shot: Missed	04:26
	04:25	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	04:12	Paul Jump Shot: Missed
Casspi Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:11
Evans Jump Shot: Missed	04:03
	04:02	Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
Evans Foul : Personal (3 PF)	04:01
Evans Substitution replaced by Udrih	04:01
	04:01 [NOH 44-43]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)
	04:01 [NOH 45-43]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)
	03:47	Okafor Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Paul Violation:Kicked Ball	03:40
Udrih Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:West (3 ST)	03:31
	03:27	Wright Layup Shot: Missed Block: Thompson (1 BLK)
	03:25	Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)
	03:23	Okafor Layup Shot: Missed
Brockman Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)	03:22
Martin Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	03:14
	02:58 [NOH 47-43]	West Driving Jump shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Paul (2 AST)
Casspi Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	02:38 [SAC 45-47]
	02:25 [NOH 49-45]	West Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Casspi Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Thompson (4 AST)	02:04 [SAC 47-49]
	01:57	Paul Layup Shot: Missed
Brockman Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)	01:56
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	01:49
Brockman Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)	01:48
Brockman Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)	01:47 [SAC 49-49]
	01:22	Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:19
Udrih Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	01:15
Udrih Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	01:15
	01:15	Team Timeout : Regular
	01:15	Wright Substitution replaced by Brown
	01:15	Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong
	00:57.9	West Jump Shot: Missed
Brockman Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)	00:55.9
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	00:37.8
Team Rebound	00:37.8
	00:37.8	Peterson Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
Brockman Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	00:37.8
Team Rebound	00:37.8
Thompson Substitution replaced by Nocioni	00:37.8
Brockman Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:37.8
	00:35.9	Peterson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Udrih Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	00:28.0
	00:28.0	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:28.0	Team Rebound
	00:28.0	Armstrong Substitution replaced by Wright
	00:28.0 [NOH 50-49]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
	00:14.8	West Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Nocioni Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)	00:14.8 [SAC 50-50]
Martin Substitution replaced by Mason	00:14.8
Udrih Substitution replaced by Rodriguez	00:14.8
Nocioni Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:14.8
Brockman Rebound (Off:5 Def:3)	00:11.9
Rodriguez Layup Shot: Missed Block: Brown (1 BLK)	00:02.0
Rodriguez Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	00:01.0
Rodriguez Layup Shot: Missed	00:00.3
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 2nd Quarter
Sacramento Kings (14-20)		New Orleans Hornets (17-16)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Mason Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Thompson (5 AST)	11:33 [SAC 52-50]
Mason Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	11:15
	11:15 [NOH 51-52]	West Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)
	11:15	West Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	11:13
	10:51	Paul Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Evans Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	10:51
Team Rebound	10:51
Evans Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	10:51 [SAC 53-51]
	10:30	Paul Jump Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	10:29
Martin Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Thompson (6 AST)	10:20 [SAC 55-51]
	10:12	Wright Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	10:12	Wright Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
Evans Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)	09:59 [SAC 57-51]
	09:59	Team Timeout : Regular
	09:45 [NOH 53-57]	Okafor Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)
May Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	09:45
	09:45 [NOH 54-57]	Okafor Free Throw 1 of 1 (9 PTS)
Mason Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Okafor (1 ST)	09:30
Martin Foul : Personal (1 PF)	09:27
	09:16	Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed
Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:15
Evans Layup Shot: Missed	09:08
	09:07	Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:01 [NOH 57-57]	Peterson 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Paul (3 AST)
	08:40	Okafor Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Evans Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	08:40 [SAC 58-57]
Evans Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	08:40 [SAC 59-57]
	08:26	West Jump Shot: Missed Block: Mason (1 BLK)
	08:23	Wright Rebound (Off:4 Def:0)
	08:19 [NOH 59-59]	Wright Jump Bank Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Martin Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS)	08:01 [SAC 61-59]
	07:37	Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed
	07:36	Wright Rebound (Off:5 Def:0)
	07:29	Paul Layup Shot: Missed
May Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	07:28
	07:22	Peterson Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Evans Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)	07:22 [SAC 62-59]
May Substitution replaced by Hawes	07:22
Evans Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	07:22 [SAC 63-59]
	07:07	West Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	07:00
Thompson Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	06:59
Thompson Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS)	06:58 [SAC 65-59]
	06:32 [NOH 61-65]	Wright Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Paul (4 AST)
Thompson Layup Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (2 BLK)	06:17
Thompson Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)	06:14
Thompson Layup Shot: Missed Block: West (2 BLK)	06:12
Hawes Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	06:11
Hawes Jump Shot: Missed	06:09
	06:08	Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:9)
	06:04 [NOH 63-65]	Paul Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS)
	05:52	Wright Substitution replaced by Stojakovic
Evans Driving Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS)	05:46 [SAC 67-63]
	05:39	Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed
Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	05:38
Mason Layup Shot: Missed	05:17
Mason Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	05:15
Martin 3pt Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Mason (1 AST)	05:12 [SAC 70-63]
	04:55 [NOH 65-70]	Peterson Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Martin Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	04:33
	04:30	Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:10)
	04:28	Paul Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Hawes (1 ST)
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	04:21
	04:20	West Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	04:09	Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong
	04:09	Peterson Substitution replaced by Brown
	04:00	West Jump Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	03:59
Thompson Reverse Layup Shot: Missed Block: Armstrong (2 BLK)	03:47
	03:43	Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	03:38	Brown 3pt Shot: Missed
Hawes Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	03:37
Team Timeout : Regular	03:35
Evans Substitution replaced by Udrih	03:35
Udrih 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Martin (3 AST)	03:17 [SAC 73-65]
Hawes Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	02:59
	02:59 [NOH 66-73]	Armstrong Free Throw 1 of 2 (2 PTS)
	02:59 [NOH 67-73]	Armstrong Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)
Martin Layup Shot: Missed	02:46
Thompson Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)	02:44
Mason Jump Shot: Missed	02:26
	02:25	Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	02:11	Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)	02:10
Thompson Layup Shot: Missed	01:59
	01:57	West Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	01:53 [NOH 69-73]	Paul Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS)
Martin Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Hawes (1 AST)	01:33 [SAC 75-69]
	01:13	West Layup Shot: Missed
	01:11	West Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	01:09	West Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hawes (1 BLK)
Mason Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	01:08
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	00:52.9
Hawes Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	00:51.9
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	00:35.9
Mason Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	00:34.3
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	00:09.9
Hawes Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)	00:08.7
Hawes Tip Shot: Missed	00:08.7
	00:08.1	Team Rebound
	00:01.1 [NOH 72-75]	Paul 3pt Shot: Made (18 PTS)
Udrih 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
Sacramento Kings (14-20)		New Orleans Hornets (17-16)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:47	Brown Jump Shot: Missed
Evans Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:46
Udrih Jump Shot: Missed	11:30
	11:29	Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	11:12	Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)	11:11
May Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Evans (2 AST)	10:56 [SAC 77-72]
	10:36 [NOH 75-77]	Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Songaila (1 AST)
Thompson Layup Shot: Missed	10:17
Thompson Rebound (Off:5 Def:5)	10:16
Thompson Tip Shot: Missed	10:16
	10:15	Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:59	Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:May (2 ST)
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Missed	09:41
	09:40	Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	09:25 [NOH 77-77]	Songaila Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)
	09:05	Armstrong Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Evans Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Songaila (1 ST)	08:59
Evans Foul : Loose Ball (4 PF)	08:59
	08:59	Timeout : Official
Evans Substitution replaced by Martin	08:59
Thompson Substitution replaced by Brockman	08:59
	08:46	Posey Layup Shot: Missed
Brockman Rebound (Off:5 Def:4)	08:45
Brockman Jump Shot: Missed	08:23
	08:22	Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Brockman Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	08:22
	08:06	Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:May (3 ST)
	07:59	Armstrong Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Udrih (4 AST)	07:52 [SAC 80-77]
	07:31 [NOH 80-80]	Brown 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Songaila (2 AST)
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	07:04
Team Rebound	07:04
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	07:04
	07:04	Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor
	06:47	Posey 3pt Shot: Missed
Brockman Rebound (Off:5 Def:5)	06:46
	06:42	Songaila Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Nocioni Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS)	06:42 [SAC 81-80]
May Substitution replaced by Evans	06:42
	06:42	Brown Substitution replaced by Paul
	06:42	Songaila Substitution replaced by West
Udrih Substitution replaced by Thompson	06:42
Nocioni Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS)	06:42 [SAC 82-80]
	06:28	Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed
Evans Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:26
Martin Layup Shot: Missed	06:09
	06:08	Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	05:47 [NOH 82-82]	Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (20 PTS)
	05:23	Paul Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
	05:23	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:23	Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Wright
Evans Free Throw 1 of 2 (16 PTS)	05:23 [SAC 83-82]
Evans Free Throw 2 of 2 (17 PTS)	05:23 [SAC 84-82]
	05:04 [NOH 84-84]	West Driving Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS)
Martin Layup Shot: Missed	04:45
	04:44	West Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
Nocioni Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	04:41
	04:41 [NOH 85-84]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS)
	04:41 [NOH 86-84]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS)
Evans Jump Shot: Missed	04:20
Nocioni Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	04:17
Evans Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Posey (1 ST)	04:12
	03:57	Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Martin (1 ST)
Evans Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO)	03:53
	03:41	Okafor Foul : Offensive (4 PF)
	03:41	Okafor Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Evans 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Brockman (1 AST)	03:27 [SAC 87-86]
	03:16 [NOH 88-87]	Paul Driving Layup Shot: Made (24 PTS)
Evans Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (22 PTS)	02:49 [SAC 89-88]
	02:33	West Jump Shot: Missed
Thompson Rebound (Off:5 Def:6)	02:32
Team Timeout : Regular	02:22
Martin Running Bank shot: Made (20 PTS)	02:13 [SAC 91-88]
	01:52	Posey 3pt Shot: Missed
Evans Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	01:49
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	01:26
	01:26	Posey Substitution replaced by Stojakovic
	01:16 [NOH 90-91]	Paul Driving Layup Shot: Made (26 PTS)
Brockman Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	01:16
	01:16 [NOH 91-91]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 1 (27 PTS)
Team Timeout : Short	01:16
Thompson Jump Shot: Missed	00:59.9
	00:59.3	Wright Rebound (Off:5 Def:1)
	00:44.9	Paul Jump Shot: Missed
	00:43.9	Okafor Rebound (Off:3 Def:10)
	00:43.9 [NOH 93-91]	Okafor Putback Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS)
Evans 3pt Shot: Missed	00:31.9
Martin Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	00:29.9
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	00:26.4
Team Rebound	00:25.4
	00:25.4	West Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)
Brockman Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)	00:25.4 [SAC 92-93]
Brockman Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:25.4
Thompson Rebound (Off:6 Def:6)	00:23.9
Team Timeout : Regular	00:15.2
Brockman Substitution replaced by Casspi	00:15.2
	00:15.2	Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Posey
Evans Jump Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (3 BLK)	00:07.6
	00:06.7	West Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
Martin Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:05.9
	00:05.9 [NOH 94-92]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (28 PTS)
Martin Substitution replaced by Brockman	00:05.9
	00:05.9 [NOH 95-92]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (29 PTS)
Team Timeout : Short	00:05.9
Brockman Substitution replaced by Martin	00:05.9
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (4 BLK)	00:03.1
	00:02.5	Wright Rebound (Off:5 Def:2)
Thompson Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:02.1
	00:02.1 [NOH 96-92]	Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (30 PTS)
	00:02.1 [NOH 97-92]	Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (31 PTS)
Nocioni 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa		--	CST	Local	Final
		--	CSN-S	Local	Final