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casper
12-30-2009, 10:51 AM
BROOKS, ROCKETS EDGE HORNETS IN HOUSTON

THE SPORTS NETWORK

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Aaron Brooks had a team-high 27 points, as the Houston Rockets overcame big performances by Chris Paul and David West to take a 108-100 win over the New Orleans Hornets.

West finished with a career-high 44 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Paul had a triple-double of 16 points, 11 boards and 10 assists. But the Hornets didn't have another player to reach double figures, losing for the third time in four games.

"I was just trying to be more aggressive than I have been," West said. "In terms of needing a win, especially on the road, we established a rhythm going into the fourth, we just weren't able to sustain it. We didn't come out with the right mindset going into the final quarter."

The Rockets, who made 12-of-23 three-point attempts, had a balanced attack, as Shane Battier ended with 20 points and Carl Landry added 18 points and six rebounds off the bench. Luis Scola had 13 points and 12 boards, as Houston bounced back from a loss at Cleveland on Sunday.

The Rockets trailed by three a few minutes into the fourth quarter, but seized the lead with a 14-0 run. Battier had six points in the rally that put Houston ahead 97-86 with 5:09 left.

New Orleans followed with the next seven points, getting within 97-93 on Emeka Okafor's three-point play with 2:51 to go. Later, a West bank shot followed by Devin Brown's three-pointer got the Hornets within 100-98 with 1:11 left.

But at the other end, Trevor Ariza drove for a slam, and after Darius Songaila missed a jumper for New Orleans, Ariza hit 1-of-2 from the line. The free throw provided Houston with a 103-98 edge with 34.5 left, and the Rockets sealed the win at the line.

"It wasn't looking very good for us but we came back and closed the game," Scola said. "It was a huge win for us. We needed the win. We were able to get over it and play the right way in the fourth."

Landry scored the last five points of the first quarter to give Houston a 31-23 lead, and a pair of threes from Battier shortly into the second pushed the advantage to 42-29.

Houston stayed ahead, and an eight-point run late in the half helped the hosts take a 61-51 lead at the break.

That lead was wiped out by an 11-0 Hornets run, fueled solely by West and Paul, early in the third, evening the game at 62-62. West then scored the last seven points of the frame to give the Hornets an 82-74 lead moving to the fourth.

Game Notes

Ariza finished with 13 points for Houston, which shot 48.7 percent overall and made 22-of-28 from the line...New Orleans shot 50 percent, but just 5-of-14 from long distance and 11-of-16 from the stripe.