Rockets Defeat Hornets

The sellout crowd in New Orleans was loud and proud when the Hornets were up by 16. The tide turned midway through the third quarter. By the end of the game, the Hive was quiescent and disappointed as the home team lost to the scrappy Rockets 91-89. David West scored 22 points in a losing effort, but it was Kevin Martin of Houston who was the star of the game.

No one has been able to stop Kevin Martin lately, which is a big reason why the Houston Rockets have won four straight.Martin scored 33 points, his third straight game with 30 or more, and the Houston Rockets overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 91-89 on Sunday night.

"Kevin was the player of the game," said Houston guard Kyle Lowry, who added 18 points. "He saved us."

Martin made four 3-pointers and hit all 13 of his free throws, including two foul shots with 18.4 seconds left to give Houston a 90-87 lead.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310227003

Chris Paul's scoring performance was his most disappointing of the year.  CP3 was 2-12 from the field in 40 minutes of play. 12 assists, 3 steals, and no turnovers are great, but New Orleans needs Chris to score double digits as well.

"I couldn't make a shot," Paul said after the loss. "I've got to do my part. My college coaches would say, 'It's a team game played by individuals.' I lost my matchup tonight."

Carl Landry scored 13 points in his second game in a Hornet uniform. Marco Belinelli averaged a point a minute when he was on the hardwood, finishing with 14 points.

In the end, it wasn't what the Hornets didn't do. It was what Kevin Martin did do. He was a perfect 13-13 from the line, knocked down 4 triples, and finished with a game high 4 steals.

The Hornets now hit the road to play 5 games in 7 days. The Hornets return home Ash Wednesday, March 9, the day after the Mardi Gras parade season ends.