Chris Paul scores 24 on sore ankle in Hornets' slump-snapping win over Clippers

By GREG BEACHAM , Associated Press

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 12:02 AM

LOS ANGELES - Chris Paul had 24 points and 10 assists on a sore ankle, Devin Brown scored 25 points and the New Orleans Hornets bounced right back from a blowout loss with a 112-84 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

David West added 17 points and nine rebounds in just New Orleans' second win in six games.

One night after the Hornets were routed 104-88 by the Lakers in the same building, they ended the Clippers' three-game winning streak with a dominant victory, opening a 31-point lead on James Posey's layup at the third-quarter buzzer.

Chris Kaman had 14 points and six rebounds for the Clippers, who lost their 10th straight to New Orleans, including six in Los Angeles. Rasual Butler had 14 points against his former Hornets teammates.

Los Angeles played without second-leading scorer Eric Gordon, who has a sore groin. Reserve forward Craig Smith then left in the fourth quarter with a cut on his right eye caused by Hilton Armstrong.

Ricky Davis scored 14 points for the Clippers, who lost four straight to open the season. They haven't won four in a row since the start of the 2007-08 season.

Peja Stojakovic scored 12 points in his first start of the season for New Orleans, which hasn't lost to the Clippers at Staples Center since Nov. 12, 2006.

The Hornets got a scare when Paul injured his left ankle late in the first half, coming down awkwardly on Butler's foot two steps after making a layup with 1:46 left. The U.S. Olympian had carved up Los Angeles' defense to that point with 7-of-11 shooting and speedy playmaking that left Baron Davis struggling to keep up.

Paul immediately went to the Hornets' locker room, but returned to start the second half with a ginger stride that disappeared once he started playing. New Orleans immediately jumped to a 21-point lead with seven straight points after halftime, and Paul's 10-for-14 shooting was a big reason New Orleans' five starters all got to sit out the fourth quarter.

One day after New Orleans coach Byron Scott benched guard Morris Peterson in favor of Brown, Stojakovic replaced Julian Wright in the Hornets' starting lineup.

While Brown was woefully ill-equipped to guard Kobe Bryant in Sunday night's loss, the second lineup change made a discernible difference for the Hornets. With his steady outside shot, Stojakovic hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points in the first quarter while New Orleans jumped out to an early 10-point lead.

New Orleans made just seven turnovers in the first three quarters while making more than 55 percent of its shots.

NOTES: Butler spent the past four seasons with the Hornets, who traded him to Los Angeles in August for a second-round draft pick. New Orleans basically dumped his $3.9 million salary in the final season of his contract to the Clippers to open up playing time for Peterson and Wright. ... Peterson was inactive for the second straight game since losing his starting job. ... Clippers F Al Thornton and Hornets rookie G Marcus Thornton are cousins.

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