PHOENIX (AP) — Carl Landry, starting in place of injured David West, scored 19 points and the New Orleans Hornets pulled out a 106-100 victory over Phoenix on Friday night, sinking the Suns further out of the Western Conference playoff race.
The Hornets, who lost leading scorer West for the season with a knee injury in a victory at Utah on Thursday night, won for the fifth time in six games to stay in a virtual tie with Portland for the No. 6 spot in the West.
Chris Paul led five Hornets in double figures with 22 points. Jarrett Jack added 17, Trevor Ariza 16 and Willie Green 15.
Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes before leaving the game with a broken nose with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Grant Hill also scored 18, while Jared Dudley and Aaron Brooks added 17 apiece.
