Hornets 95, Timberwolves 81
Trevor Ariza scored 18 points and Chris Paul collected 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the visiting New Orleans Hornets cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 95-81, on Friday.
Jarrett Jack added 13 points off the bench and Emeka Okafor returned following a 10-game absence due to an oblique strain to pick up 10 points and seven boards for the Hornets, who were without leading scorer David West due to a death in the family.
The win keeps New Orleans in fifth place in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Hornets came out strong, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first quarter and shooting 57 percent in the opening half to take a 55-43 edge into the locker room. The Timberwolves briefly cut it to single digits in the third but New Orleans closed the frame on a 20-10 run to expand the lead to 79-61.
Wesley Johnson and Luke Ridnour scored 22 points apiece and Kevin Love pushed his double-double streak to 45 games with 11 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota.