NEW ORLEANS – As many chances as the Mavericks were giving the Hornets to stay in the game, it was only a matter of time before New Orleans would take advantage.
With 6.7 seconds left in the game, Peja Stojakovic did just that.
After Dallas missed 4 of 5 free throws in the final 13 seconds, Stojakovic hit a game-tying 3-pointer, sending the nationally-televised Southwest Division showdown into overtime.
In the extra period, New Orleans held onto the momentum, getting a block from Emeka Okafor, rebounds from David West and big buckets by both Chris Paul and Bobby Brown to hold off Dallas 114-107 in front of a boisterous 13,566 fans at the Arena.
“It is a miracle that we had an opportunity to get to overtime and then once we got there, it was ‘let’s make sure we take advantage of it,’ ” Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott said.
If not for Paul, however, Stojakovic wouldn’t have had a chance at the game-tying trey. Paul had 39 points on 14 of 23 shooting. He had seven assists.
He willed the team into staying in the game, carrying the Hornets (2-3) until his teammates could show up – he scored 18 of his game-high total and grabbed three of his five rebounds in the second half, not counting overtime.
“I’m asking that young man to do an awful lot,” Scott said. “That’s one of the reasons I was so adamant about him playing 34-35 minutes a game because I thought he would be more effective. And so far, he has. … I’m telling him every night to be aggressive.”
“They have been having a rough go so far and you could tell he wanted to get it,” Dallas’ Jason Terry said. “He is a great player.”
And eventually the other Hornets showed up.
Okafor came up with a big rebound and a block of Shawn Marion in overtime. West also came up with three big rebounds and four points in the final five minutes. And backup guard Brown drilled a big 3-pointer that turned out to be the game-winner.
“We needed it,” Paul said. “We were 1-3. We need every win we can get. With our team trying to jell and really trying to find our identity, we need wins to give us confidence going into other games so we know we can win.”
New Orleans led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter before the Mavericks (3-2) began their comeback. By halftime, the Hornets barely held a two-point lead. Still, heading into the fourth quarter, the Hornets led by five points.
Terry, though, had other plans. He scored 15 back-breaking points in the first seven minutes of the fourth, helping the Mavericks push their lead to seven points at point.
With 1:06 to play and the game tied at 92, the game appeared to get out of the grasp of the Hornets. Terry hit two free throws, then Erick Dampier put back a Shawn Marion miss and New Orleans trailed by four with 16.5 seconds to play.
And then the comedy of errors begin to befall the Mavericks in favor of New Orleans. West made a layup and the Hornets called timeout. Paul fouled Terry, who missed the front end of his two free throws.
Another Hornets timeout stopped the clock but on the offensive end, Paul was called for a foul for pushing off on Jose Barea. Byron Scott was called for a technical foul and Terry missed it. Seconds later, Barea missed both his free throws and the Hornets barely had a pulse.
But they had a pulse and that’s when Stojakovic drilled his trey, sending the game into overtime.
From there, the Hornets took over, outscoring Dallas 17-10 in overtime to clinch the win.
“That’s why you play the game,” said West, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. “You play until it’s over. We committed some fouls and stretched the game out as opposed to seeing them up three or four and letting them dribble the ball out.”
