Peja Drains Seven 3’s, Hornets Beat Suns 110-103

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

Grant Hill (#33), Peja Stojakovic (#16)

When you’re the New Orleans Hornets, you have to be hurting as Chris Paul is out of action for awhile and you have a new head coach in Jeff Bower, so obviously there is some readjustments to be made. During the team’s game against the Phoenix Suns, that would be put to the test. Fortunately for the Hornets, they had a backup plan of sorts; Peja Stojakovic played like the Peja of old as he connected on seven 3-pointers, helping New Orleans shock Phoenix 110-103 at New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets would get off to a good start, manufacturing a 15-2 run in the first quarter, with Emeka Okafor scoring 6 during the run; New Orleans would be ahead 20-9 when Stojakovic would hit his second trey of the first quarter. The Hornets, however, would turn over the ball four times during the last 2:25 of the period; Leandro Barbosa’s layup would pull Phoenix to within 26-22 at the end of the first 12 minutes. Grant Hill’s dunk and 3-pointers by Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson capped a 10-0 run which gave Phoenix its first lead at 41-39; the Hornets came back and reclaimed the lead on Stojakovic’s third 3-pointer of the game late in the second quarter and his driving layup in the final seconds gave New Orleans a 52-49 halftime lead.

The Hornets seemed to be losing the game but they responded with a 7-0 spurt, capped by a Devin Brown trey; Stojakovic’s consecutive three-pointers later in the third quarter pushed New Orleans back into the lead at 74-71. The Suns had a chance to pull the game out as Amare Stoudemire’s dunk and short jumper gave Phoenix a 92-91 lead; the score was tied at 96-all when Stojakovic and Darren Ellison drained back-to-back 3’s, icing the game for the Hornets.

Stojakovic led New Orleans with 25 points (including 7 three-pointers), 13 rebounds and an assist while Brown and Marcus Thornton added 19 apiece; Darren Collison chipped in 15 with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Okafor notched a double-double, scoring 13 with 12 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

Phoenix had seven players in double-digits, led by Stoudemire with 23 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks while Dudley added 17 (including five treys) with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Richardson pitched in 16 with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Channing Frye notched a double-double, scoring 11 with 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. New Orleans (5-8) plays again on Saturday when they host the Atlanta Hawks while Phoenix (10-3) returns home to host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

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