[NBA Roundup] Hornet Rally in 4th Beats Celtics

David West’s 37 points helped the New Orleans Hornets rally past the Boston Celtics, 113-106. The Hornets (47-21) now trail the Los Angeles Lakers by half a game for the Western Conference lead. The Celtics, who play in the Eastern Conference, won four straight against Western Conference teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks before losing to the Hornets.

New Orleans’ star point guard Chris Paul got into foul trouble early, as Boston took a 65-55 lead in the first half. West then worked his magic to help the Hornets, scoring on a fast break dunk to give his team a 94-93 lead with just 6:12 left and upped the margin with subsequent baskets. The Celtics got to within 104-101, but Paul’s three-pointer sealed victory with 1:13 to go. Paul played just 29 minutes but scored 19 points and had seven assists. Boston’s 21 turnovers nullified Paul Pierce’s 28 points and gave 31 points to New Orleans.

In Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire’s 38 points and 13 rebounds helped the Suns continue their seven-game winning streak courtesy of the Houston Rockets, 122-113. Stoudemire made all 20 of his free throws, a franchise record. Suns center Shaquille O`Neal added 23 points and 13 rebounds.

In Charlotte, the Bobcats broke a five-game losing streak by beating the injury-depleted Miami Heat, 94-82, thanks to Gerald Wallace (26 points) and Jason Richardson (24). The Heat dressed only nine players for the game.

In Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 32 points to lead the Hawks over the Orlando Magic, 98-90.

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