27.10.2005

HOUSTON (88) AT NEW ORLEANS (89)
Stats

With some last-second heroics, P.J. Brown gave Oklahoma City a reason to celebrate 
its new team.

The 6-foot-11 center put back Speedy Claxton's missed layup with 0.4 seconds left 
as the New Orleans Hornets beat the Houston Rockets 89-88 Thursday night for their 
first win in their new home.

``We're feeling good I think from a mental standpoint just to get our first home 
win,'' Brown said. ``I think it would have been tough to come into the season next 
Tuesday not having won a home game in our preseason. It's good to establish a good 
feeling.''

After David Wesley missed a 3-pointer for the Rockets, Claxton drove the left side 
of the lane and tossed the ball onto the rim. Brown caught the miss and put it back 
in with his right hand for the lead.

``I thought it was more Speedy than me,'' Brown said. ``Speedy broke down the defense,
and the defense collapsed to him trying and block the shot, and it just left me wide open.''

Brown said he just tried to put the ball back as quickly as he could. After the 
shot went through, the Hornets celebrated at center court, then had to make one 
last stop on defense after officials put 0.4 seconds back on the clock.

After two Houston timeouts, Luther Head had a chance to win it for the Rockets, 
but he missed a jumper from the left side at the buzzer.

``It means the world to our guys,'' Hornets coach Byron Scott said. ``We're a young 
team trying to find our way. And when you're trying to find your way, sometimes 
victories like this can be big things for you.''

The Hornets, who fell behind by 26 in their Oklahoma City debut on Sunday before 
getting back within two points, spotted the Rockets a 43-21 first-half lead before 
mounting another comeback.

Claxton and Bostjan Nachbar hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the left wing, and 
Nachbar added a three-point play to get the Hornets within 63-61 with 4:05 left 
in the third quarter. J.R. Smith brought the 15,063 fans to their feet when his 
3-pointer from the right wing spun around the rim and fell in to give the Hornets 
a 72-70 lead, their first of the second half.

Juwan Howard gave Houston the lead back with a jumper from a step behind the free 
throw line, and Lonny Baxter's three-point play made it 80-76 Rockets. Barry 
stretched the lead to five with a right-handed floater in the lane, but then 
helped the Hornets charge back with a technical foul.

Smith finished with 18 points for New Orleans, Nachbar scored 17 and Claxton added
14. Brown and David West, who left with a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter 
and didn't return, had 13 points each.

Derek Anderson scored 18 points to lead Houston, which was without Tracy McGrady 
for the second straight game because of tendinitis in both of his knees. Yao and 
Howard contributed 16 points each.

Desmond Mason, the former Oklahoma State star New Orleans acquired in a trade with 
Milwaukee on Wednesday, arrived late in the first quarter and got a warm ovation 
from the crowd.