David West leads Hornets past Pistons 93-74

12/9/2010

NEW ORLEANS — David West scored 25 points, Chris Paul had 14 assists and the New Orleans Hornets won their first game since the NBA announced its impending takeover of the club, 93-74 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

West had 23 in the first three quarters as the Hornets built a commanding lead that was never threatened in the final period by Detroit, which has lost six of its last seven and dropped to 2-11 on the road.

Marco Belinelli made four 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 22 points, while Emeka Okafor added 14 points as the Hornets earned only their third win in nine games.

Ben Gordon led Detroit with 16 points in a reserve role, while Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points and Richard Hamilton 13.