Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton scored 20 points apiece, rookie D.J. Augustin spearheaded a late comeback, and the Charlotte Bobcats spoiled Chris Paul's homecoming, beating the New Orleans Hornets 92-89 on Friday night.
New coach Larry Brown tinkered with his lineup late, going with the rookie point guard Augustin, who helped Charlotte regroup after blowing a 14-point lead to give Brown his second win with the struggling franchise.
Paul, who grew up 90 minutes away and bought 500 tickets for friends and family, recovered from a scoreless first half to have 20 points and 10 assists, but had a key turnover in the final minute before missing a tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
The Hornets, who also got 20 points from Peja Stojakovic, stormed back behind Paul to take as much as a five-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
But Charlotte wasn't through. Using an odd lineup that included Augustin, Adam Morrison and Matt Carroll, the Bobcats went on a 14-2 run, with Augustin's 3-pointer giving Charlotte an 85-78 lead with 2:54 left.
Stojakovic hit two late 3-pointers, the second got the Hornets within 90-89 with 14 seconds left.
But Felton then hit two free throws, and Paul clanged a deep 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired, sending the Hornets to their second straight loss and ruining their return to their old city.
The matchup came 20 years to the week of the Hornets' debut in the Charlotte.
They then played a second quarter that rivaled the ineptitude of that 62-loss, Kurt Rambis-led expansion team of 1988-89.
The Hornets were outscored 21-7, shot 3-for-17 and missed all five 3-point attempts in falling behind 47-35 at halftime. Paul, playing passively, was 0-for-2 from the field with one assist in the first half and thoroughly outplayed by his former college rival, Felton, who had 11 points.
Paul, who grew up in Winston-Salem, left his cheering section disappointing. It was also not what Hornets coach Byron Scott had in mind.
Upset with the team's defense and rebounding in Wednesday's loss to Atlanta, Scott put his team through a grueling two-hour practice Thursday that included nearly all running and defensive drills and no scrimmaging or work on offensive sets.
'I wasn't very happy and I think they sensed that,' Scott said before the game.
But it wasn't until the second half that the Hornets seemed to get the message.
Paul got more aggressive, driving to the basket and scoring 14 points in the third quarter as the Hornets got within 66-61. He had consecutive steals and hit a fadeaway as New Orleans took a 76-71 lead.
But the team that moved to New Orleans in 2002 and was replaced in Charlotte by the expansion Bobcats two years later, couldn't hold on.
Augustin, the ninth pick in the draft, finished with 11 points, four assists and one turnover.
Notes:@ The seven points in the second quarter were the fewest ever allowed by the Bobcats in any quarter. ... Bobcats F Sean May was inactive for the fourth straight game as he works on his conditioning. When asked if May is getting closer, Brown said 'a little bit.' ... Hornets F Melvin Ely (dental work) did not dress. ... While it's no surprise the well-traveled Brown once coached Scott in Indiana _ 'I've coached everybody in this league,' Brown joked _ Scott indicated he nearly backed out on a commitment to attend Arizona State when Brown, then coaching UCLA, started recruiting him. 'If he had came a week earlier I would have gone to UCLA,' Scott said.
