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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:09 a.m., Sunday, April 6, 2008

NBA: Paul's triple-double lifts Hornets by Warriors

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Chris Paul had 16 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets tied a franchise record for single-season victories with 54 in a 108-96 defeat of the Golden State Warriors today.

It was the fourth career triple double for Paul, who inspired boisterous chants of M-V-P from a sellout crowd that watched the Hornets win their 11th straight home game and fourth straight overall.

Monta Ellis scored 35 points to keep the Warriors in the game late into the final period, but Golden State had only three points from its reserves until the game's final minute.

Peja Stojakovic and David West each scored 25 points, helping New Orleans close the game on an 18-6 run after Golden State had rallied to tie the game at 90 early in the fourth quarter.

Tyson Chandler added 11 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which remains atop the Western Conference with six games remaining.

Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins each scored 17 points for Golden State (46-31), which has lost three of four games and will need a strong finish to earn a playoff berth. The Warriors entered the day tied for the eighth seed in the Western Conference with Denver, which was slated to play tonight at Seattle.

New Orleans led 82-71 in the third quarter after a 13-2 run that included Stojakovic's second 3-pointer of the game and Paul's end-to-end layup. West's putback helped New Orleans take an 88-78 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors made one final push with a 12-0 run fueled by Ellis, whose jumper and fast-break dunk on back-to-back possessions tied the game at 90.

Paul responded with a 3, then West hit a jumper to make it 95-90, and New Orleans pulled away from there.

Golden State had the early edge after Biedrins, who had 15 points in the first half, capped an 11-0 run with a fast break layup as he was fouled, giving the Warriors a 25-14 lead in the first quarter.

New Orleans responded with a 13-2 run early in the second quarter, pulling to 38-37 on Chandler's tip-in.

Later in the period, Jannero Pargo sandwiched two 3s around another by rookie Julian Wright, then Paul's under-thrown alley-oop lob went straight in the hoop for an 11-0 run that put New Orleans up 52-46.

Pargo ended up with 15 points in the second quarter, and Stojakovic's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave New Orleans a 59-51 halftime lead.

Notes: New Orleans finished with a 26-5 advantage in points scored by reserves. ... Attendance was 17,809, the Hornets' 11th sellout of the season and 10th in 15 games. ... The Hornets need one more victory to break the franchise record for single-season wins, set in 1996-97. Byron Scott has already has achieved a personal mark for most wins in a season as a coach. He also has helped the Hornets set a franchise record for road wins with 25 this season. ... Golden State fell to 21-19 on the road this season after scoring well below its average of 110.6 points per game.