Smooth Masonry

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Desmond Mason scored 18 points and David West had 16 to lead the New Orleans/Oklahoma Hornets to a 110-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Mason scored 10 points and West had 12 during the opening half when New Orleans used a late surge to take control.

Devin Brown added 15 points, Bobby Jackson had 14, Linton Johnson 12 and Tyson Chandler 10 to provide the Hornets with a balanced attack.

One day after letting a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a loss at Memphis, the Hornets did not wait around for any late-game dramatics against the Kings. Instead, they blew open a close game with a 27-7 run that ultimately turned a 40-39 second-quarter deficit into a 66-47 third-quarter advantage.

Brown’s third 3-pointer capped the decisive run 3:20 into the third, but the Hornets did not sit on the lead. Buckets by West and Chandler helped build the advantage to 75-52.

Sacramento started slowly, but rallied behind the play of leading scorer Kevin Martin, whose 3-pointer at the 8:38 mark of the second quarter gave the Kings a 31-29 lead. They were still on top when Brown’s first 3 gave the Hornets a 42-40 lead at the 5:36 mark.

The Hornets were still clinging to a 48-47 lead with just over a minute left in the half, but scored the final nine points before the break. Brown’s second 3-pointer widened the gap to 52-47 and after a Mason bucket and Mike Bibby turnover, Paul beat the buzzer with another 3 to make it 57-47 at the break.

Ron Artest, who shot just 4-of-15 from the field, scored 18 points to lead the Kings. Corliss Williams added 16 for Sacramento and Martin finished with 15.