NEW ORLEANS — Emeka Okafor had a season-high 26 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Paul had 13 points, 19 assists and five steals, and New Orleans remained unbeaten with a 96-93 victory over the Heat on Friday night that gave the Hornets (5-0) their best start in franchise history.
“Mek was outstanding tonight,” Paul said. “Every time he stepped out on the court, he played with a lot of passion, and I think when he gets going, we all feed off of him. He just played a great game.”
David West added 15 points, including crucial free throws with 7.2 seconds to go after Chris Bosh’s 3 had pulled Miami within 94-93.
Dwyane Wade gave up a potential tying 3-point attempt and passed to Eddie House, whose shot rimmed out in the final seconds.
Miami did not take its first lead until LeBron James’ free throws made it 90-89 with 59.8 seconds left, but the Hornets responded with Marco Belinelli’s free throws, and then Trevor Ariza’s 3.
“One thing we have to continue to learn, that every time we step out on the basketball court, no matter who we’re going against, we can’t just show up,” James said.
Wade led all scorers with 28 points to go with 10 rebounds. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, and went 13-of-13 from the foul line.
New Orleans led 86-79 inside the final five minutes when Wade ignited Miami’s late surge with a 3. He then drew Belinelli into a foul on another 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut it to 86-85 with 3:35 still left.
Paul set up Okafor for a basket inside, and the Hornets appeared ready to put it away when Paul used a crossover dribble to create space and drove in for an apparent floater off the glass. However, officials called Paul for a charge; Paul’s response drew a technical foul.
Soon after, James, who had 20 points and 10 assists, finally put Miami in the lead, and it appeared that the dream start of rookie Hornets coach Monty Williams was about to come to an end.
Instead, the Hornets rallied and held on.
