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Paul continues to make a serious case for MVP consideration

“We talked about being desperate — as desperate as they are — before the game,” Williams said. “Having a sense of urgency, going out there and executing your offense as if you were 0-3. I think our guys had that mentality tonight.”

“Winners do what losers don’t”

Luis Scola, the Rockets leading scorer at more than 27 points a game, picked up two fouls before three minutes went by in the first quarter against New Orleans on Wednesday night.  Early foul trouble meant he never found a rhythm, and neither did his team, as he finished with just nine points on 4-15 shooting.  After missing his first six shot attempts, Scola made his first basket midway through the 3rd quarter.  Not good for a winless Rockets squad when your leading scorer starts off super slow, especially when you are facing an unbeaten Hornets club lead by the NBA’s best point guard.  Chris Paul scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to lead the 4-0 Hornets to a victory over the 0-4 Rockets in the Toyota Center by a final of 107-99.

Despite playing on the road, the more aggressive Monty Williams’ unit outscored the Rockets at the free throw line by 17, winning the battle at the charity stripe 30-13.  The 5th ranked New Orleans defense held Houston to under 42 % from the floor and received double-digit scoring performances from Marco Belinelli and Jason Smith.  Belinelli, who starts in the backcourt with CP3, finished with 18 points on 4 of 7 from downtown.  Smith went 5-8 from the field, collecting 13 points off the bench.  In addition, Emeka Okafor made his presence felt, making an impact on the defensive end by blocking five shots to go along with 15 points and 9 rebounds.  With all the contributions and balanced scoring to compliment Paul, it was unquestionably the MVP candidate floor general who came up big when his team needed him the most.  Paul, who nearly produced a triple double (25-7-8), had 7 key points after the Rockets took the lead 89-88 in the 4th quarter following an Aaron Brooks three-pointer with three and a half minutes to play.  His Hornet teammates followed his lead after Kevin Martin made a three to put the Rockets to within 95-94 with 1:47 remaining, by going on a 10-0 run to seal the deal for their fourth straight victory to start the season.

The Hornets are one of only three teams without a loss in the Association, joining the Atlanta Hawks and the back-to-back champion L.A. Lakers.  As for the Rockets, they along with the Detroit Pistons, are the only teams without a win in the NBA.  It was yet again another night where the Rockets lead at halftime, only to relinquish the lead in the second half.  This time, they got outscored by the Hornets 64-50 in the 3rd and 4th quarters.  It’s the third time the Rockets have lost a game in which they lead at intermission.  New Orleans has now defeated three teams with at least 42 wins from last season.  If Rick Adelman’s troops can take anything positive away from this game, it could be the play of their 7-6 big man, as Yao finished the game healthy, registering 15 points in 21 minutes of action.  Up next for the undefeated Hornets, who’s start has matched a franchise best, the red-hot Miami Heat, winners of four consecutive games.  After hosting Miami in the Big Easy on Friday, they will travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on the ensuing night of a back-to-back.  Up next for the winless Rockets, the in-state rival San Antonio Spurs on the road.  After visiting making a visit to San Antonio, they will return home the next night to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.