February 24th, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
The Sacramento Kings in their game on Monday night against the New Orleans Hornets – despite having 7 new players on their roster – acquitted themselves well; unfortunately for them, Chris Paul had his way against the Kings as he had 12 second half points which trumped a spirited rally by the Kings late on the game. It wasn’t quite enough as New Orleans escaped from Arco Arena with a 112-105 win over Sacramento.
The Hornets dominated things in the first half as they outscored the Kings, taking a 61-47 lead into their locker room at halftime; trailing by double-digits most of the game, Sacramento came back at the beginning of the fourth quarter by scoring 9 straight points – including a 3-pointer by Kevin Martin - that cut New Orleans’ lead to 84-83. The beginning of the end for the Kings came when Paul hit consecutive jumpers halfway through the final period, taking an insurmountable 99-91 lead. Sacramento, from that point on, would not get any closer than 5.
New Orleans’ high scorer was Paul with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals while David West added 24 with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 4 blocked shots; Peja Stojakovic pitched in 18 with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Tyson Chandler, in his first game back, scored 15 with 10 rebounds and an assist but turned the ball over 5 times.
Sacramento was led by Martin with 32 points (including 4 treys), 2 rebounds and 5 assists while Andres Nocioni, from off the bench, chipped in 19 (including 4 three-pointers) with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals; Francisco Garcia added 17 with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. New Orleans (33-22) plays again on Wednesday when they return home to host the Detroit Pistons while Sacramento (12-46) remain at home to host the Charlotte Hornets – also on Wednesday.
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