March 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After getting medically cleared to begin running last week, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is now cutting and moving lateral during his pregame workouts. Though there is no set target date on his return, Paul said he is getting closer toward returning to the lineup after requiring knee surgery on Feb. 4. Paul could return this Saturday against Utah or on Monday night at home against the Dallas Mavericks. "It's amazing just weeks ago, I was like will I ever get back,'' Paul said. "But now to be almost there gives me a lot of hope and something to be excited about. I'm moving pretty good right now, but I still have a little ways to go.''"
March 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Three-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul was medically cleared Friday to begin running, and he could be a week to 10 days from returning to the New Orleans Hornets' lineup. Paul required arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Feb. 4, and it has forced him to miss 20 consecutive games. The Hornets initially projected Paul would be sidelined from four to six weeks. Paul will enter his sixth week sidelined when the Hornets open a five-game road trip that starts Saturday at Phoenix. Paul participated in Friday morning's shootaround at the New Orleans Arena. Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said they will continue to evaluate Paul's progress to determine whether his work load will increase or stay ..."
March 12
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Three-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul was cleared Friday to begin participating in drills with his teammates at three-quarters speed, New Orleans Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said. Paul participated in Friday's shootaround at the New Orleans Arena, but Bower said there is still no set date on his return. Despite Paul's progress from requiring knee surgery on Feb. 4, the Hornets will have only eight players available tonight against the Denver Nuggets because backup forward James Posey is sidelined with flu-like symptoms. In addition, starting small forward Peja Stojakovic is sidelined with a lower abdominal strain and backup center Sean Marks is out with a strained right shoulder."
March 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Realistically, the return of New Orleans Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul is two weeks away at a minimum. As the Hornets prepare to play their 19th consecutive game without him - and the 27th overall this season - Paul remains sidelined as a result of Feb. 4 arthroscopic surgery to remove the torn portion of the meniscus cartilage in his left knee, a convalescence originally termed to last four to six weeks. Five weeks after the surgery, Paul still has not been cleared to begin running, and the Hornets, who travel to Oklahoma City to face likely playoff participant Oklahoma City tonight at the Ford Center, are hopeful their postseason aspirations aren't vanishing while their leader ..."
March 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul participated in a shooting drill at the start of Monday's shootaround. Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said he is hopeful, but could not say for sure if Paul will be cleared to begin running this week. With only 19 games remaining in the regular season, Bower said there will no cut off date to decide if it would it be worth bringing Paul back if the Hornets are mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs. "Our plan is for him to return when he's 100 percent healthy and that's what he wants to do as well,'' Bower said."
March 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The prevailing hope among New Orleans Hornets players is that when injured three-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul returns this month, they will become a complete team again and embark on an extended winning streak to earn a playoff spot. "We're going to fight through, " rookie point guard Darren Collison said. "It's difficult, but that's part of being in the Western Conference. It forces you to make better plays. We'll be all right." But the reality is the Hornets' schedule is so difficult this month that even when Paul returns, possibly in the next 10 days after requiring knee surgery last month, it still might be difficult winning games."
February 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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A perspiring Chris Paul talked as if he had just logged 48 minutes on the basketball court. "I loved the way they kept it up-tempo," he gushed. "Yea, they made some mistakes, but listen, they're doing what they do best. I wanna see them keep doing it, up-tempo, that's what I wanna see." What CP saw Sunday night was his Hornets hang tough, just tough enough to hold off the Houston Rockets 104-94 in one of those fast-paced games heavily sprinkled with messy moments born of over-anxiety at the New Orleans Arena. "How about my man, how about DC?" CP said. That would be Darren Collison, a rookie quarterback who has taken over for the All-Pro point guard and had just come up with a 26-point ..."
February 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Though Hornets point guard Chris Paul will not play in Sunday night's All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after requiring surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, it did not stop him from making the rounds Friday -- from interviews to guest appearances. Denver point guard Chauncey Billups replaced Paul, who earned his third consecutive All-Star appearance. He was selected as a reserve this season by the league's coaches. Paul said he will sit on the bench during the game. At Friday's media session, Paul said the Hornets' team chemistry, despite having a coaching change in November, has been good. The Hornets (28-25) headed into the All-Star break with a 93-85 ..."
February 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul was one of the nine members from the 2008 United States Olympic team selected to participate in the 2010-2012 USA National Team program. Training dates and locations for the USA National Team training in 2010 will be announced at a later date. In all, 28 players were selected. Returning to the USA National Team for 2010-12 are 2008 Olympic gold medalists Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). Rounding out the list of Olympians on the ..."
February 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul met with the media Wednesday night for the first time since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee Feb. 4 and said the prognosis for his recovery time remains the same -- four to six weeks. Dr. James Andrews removed the torn portion of the cartilage and did not repair it, Paul said. "This is tough, but this is something I've got to do, " said Paul, walking with the aid of two crutches -- but just one on the way to the interview session. "Rehab is tough because some days it feels like it's getting better, and some days it feels like it could go the other way. "I've just got to stay with it and keep doing everything ..."
February 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul will be sidelined approximately four to six weeks after undergoing successful arthroscopic knee surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday. Paul's meniscus in his left knee was torn after colliding into a camera while trying to save a pass overthrown by forward David West in last week's overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls at the New Orleans Arena. After the game, Paul revealed he initially twisted the knee in the Jan. 27 game against Golden State and hit it in the same spot when he collided with the camera."
February 4
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Despite requiring knee surgery on Thursday, New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul was named Western Conference Player of the Month for January. Paul led the conference with a 11.9 assists average and 2.4 steals per game, while averaging 20.8 points in guiding the Hornets to a 12-5 record. The Hornets' win total was the most among teams in the Western Conference. "Due to my injury, it is bittersweet,'' Paul said in a statement. "But I will do everything it takes to get back healthy and return.''"
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul will undergo arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee in Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday, Coach Jeff Bower said before Wednesday's shootaround. The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews. Paul will likely miss up to a month and not play in the Feb. 14 All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But Bower said the time frame on Paul's return will not be set until following the surgery."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The New Orleans Hornets are expected to give an update on All-Star point guard Chris Paul's status on Wednesday, spokesman Dennis Rogers said after Tuesday's practice. Paul is sidelined indefinitely with an injured left knee. Coach Jeff Bower said an MRI test was performed Sunday and they remain in the process of having it reviewed by several top orthopedists before a final determination is made that likely will involve surgery."
February 2
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said the team is in the process of gathering further evaluations to determine if knee surgery is the best course of action for injured All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Bower said an MRI test was performed Sunday, and those results will be reviewed by several top orthopedic specialists from around the country before a decision is made, but Paul is sidelined indefinitely. "It's likely there is going to be a surgical procedure," Bower said. "But as I said, we're in the fact-finding stages right now, gathering as much information as possible for decisions to be made for the next steps." Paul will miss the Feb. 14 All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in ..."
February 2
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said they are in the process of gathering further evalations to determine if knee surgery is the best course of action for injured All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Bower said an MRI test was performed Sunday and those results will be reviewed by several top orthropedist specialists from around the country before a decision is made, but Paul is sidelined indefinitely. "It's likely there is going to be a surgical procedure,'' Bower said."But as I said, we're in the fact-finding stages right now, gathering as much information as possible for decisions to be made for the next steps.'' Paul will miss the Feb. 14 All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in ..."
January 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul was in a jovial mood considering Monday night's opponent. The Portland Trail Blazers haven't exactly been kind when it comes to Paul's overall health since he came into the NBA in 2005. First off when Paul was a rookie, he tore a ligament in his right thumb when his hand became tangled in the jersey of Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake. On Nov. 13, in Jeff Bower's first game as coach of New Orleans, Paul sprained his left ankle. Against, you guessed, the Trail Blazers. "I'm saying my prayers," Paul said, half-joking, half-seriously. On Monday night, Paul remained upright and healthy throughout, flirting with a triple-double -- scoring 24 points to go ..."
December 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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No Hornet has accomplished so much in such a short time span as Chris Paul, who joined the franchise 4 1/2 seasons ago as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft. His extensive list of achievements includes several NBA and team records, an Olympic gold medal and two All-Star appearances. Paul, a 6-foot, 190-pound point guard, is the only player to lead the NBA in steals and assists in consecutive seasons (2007-08) and (2008-09), and last season he set an NBA record with having at least one steal in 108 consecutive games. For his efforts since his rookie year, Paul is The Times Picayune's Hornets Player of the Decade. Paul has had 171 games with 10 or more assists, 94 games with 20 or ..."
December 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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For eight months, point guard Chris Paul had to live with the embarrassment of a 58-point home playoff defeat to the Denver Nuggets that forced the Hornets' franchise to make significant changes in the offseason. On Friday night, Paul finally got a chance to play against the Nuggets for the first time since the lopsided loss and five-game elimination. In front of a crowd of 14,453 at the New Orleans Arena, Paul made certain it was nothing like what happened in April. He picked apart the Nuggets like a man on a mission with a 30-point performance to help the Hornets come away with a 98-92 victory. After trailing by 15 points in the first half, Paul made all seven of his shots and scored ..."
December 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Despite having a superb performance in this past Friday's victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul said his left ankle remains sore. Paul returned against the Timberwolves after missing eight consecutive games and scored 16 points, dished 15 assists and had eight steals in a team-high 38 minutes in the Hornets' 98-89 victory at the New Orleans Arena. "It''s going to be sore, but I'm getting better and I'm still doing treatment,'' Paul said."
December 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There were four plays in the first 24 minutes of Friday night's Hornets-Timberwolves game at the New Orleans Arena that announced to all that guard Chris Paul had returned from a three-week, sprained-ankle-induced sabbatical at full speed, with no deterioration of his abundant skills. First, Paul executed perfect passes on back-to-back possessions early in the first quarter that Devin Brown and Peja Stojakovic converted into layups. Later in the second quarter, Paul soared for an unsuccessful rebound attempt and landed on the floor unfazed by the contact. Then, as the second-quarter clock expired, Paul goaded the T-Wolves' Ryan Hollins into a silly foul as Paul leaped for a 3-point ..."
December 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After losing consecutive road games that led to forward David West questioning his teammates' commitment to play as a unit, the Hornets were back in rhythm Friday night with Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul returning to the starting lineup against Minnesota. Although it took until the third quarter for the Hornets to take control after trailing by 11 points, they came away with a 98-89 victory at the New Orleans Arena. Stojakovic had missed the previous two games due to an illness involving a family member, and Paul had missed eight with a severely sprained left ankle. "On this last trip, for instance, we had different people in different roles, particularly the last two games with Peja ..."
December 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Injured New Orleans Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul, who has missed eight games since severely spraining his left ankle on Nov. 13, returned to full practice contact on Thursday, opening the possibility of a return perhaps Friday night. The Hornets host the Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Arena on Friday night. "I think the best part of it was just actually being back out here," Paul said after practicing at the Alario Center. "It wasn't the greatest but I played through some of the pain.""
December 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As an elite NBA point guard, the Hornets' Chris Paul is used to making adjustments, often on the fly while barreling toward an unwitting opponent. The past two weeks, however, Paul has been trying to adapt while not on the court. Since Coach Byron Scott was fired early last month, Paul has been getting used to not having his mentor around. Scott is the only coach Paul has had in his five-year career, and their relationship extends far beyond player and coach. Paul reveres Scott and considers him a family member. "He's somebody I've been with since my rookie year, a guy who gave me a chance to do what I'm doing," Paul said before Sunday's game at Sacramento. "But that's long gone now; me ..."
December 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As an elite NBA point guard, the Hornets' Chris Paul is used to making adjustments, often on the fly while barreling toward an unwitting opponent. The past two weeks, however, Paul has been trying to adapt while not on the court. Since Coach Byron Scott was fired early last month, Paul has been getting used to not having his mentor around. Scott is the only coach Paul has had in his five-year career, and their relationship extends far beyond player and coach. Paul reveres Scott and considers him a family member. "He's somebody I've been with since my rookie year, a guy who gave me a chance to do what I'm doing," Paul said before Sunday's game at Sacramento. "But that's long gone now; me ..."
November 24
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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During practices and games, injured Hornets point guard Chris Paul has been in rookie Darren Collison's ear, giving him pointers on the finer things about playing the position in the NBA. Collison said since he took over the starting role for Paul five games ago, several veteran teammates have offered guidance, but he said the most beneficial has come from Paul, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a sprained left ankle. During shootarounds, Paul has sat next to Collison when the team breaks into position groups and has gone over details about the opposing point guard as an assistant coach would. He's also chimed in on how to get around pick-and-rolls. Several times during last ..."
November 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Three consecutive wins before Sunday night's game against the Miami Heat is an indication the Hornets could be heading in the right direction on the court. And the news is good off the court, as well. Injured All-Star guard Chris Paul now is walking without the aid of a hard, plastic boot that immobilized his badly sprained right ankle since the injury occurred Nov. 13 against the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. Paul attended the team's shoot-around Saturday morning at the Arena, and he was wearing a shoe at Saturday and Sunday night's games. "I still don't know," Paul said of a timetable for his return, which has been left open-ended since the team announced results of ..."
November 17
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The long-anticipated medicalon the condition of Chris Paul's sprained left ankle was neither expansive nor encouraging Monday. The Hornets' All-Star point guard will be out indefinitely , but the team provided no information on the severity of the injury. Ankle sprains are assessed by grades. A Grade I is the least severe, and a Grade III is the most severe, involving the tearing of ligaments within the ankle that require a lengthy rehabilitation period. Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said Monday the team would not place a number grade on Paul's injury. Paul shed no additional light on what was revealed by an MRI exam Saturday. "They don't know when I'll be able to play yet," Paul said ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets General Manager/Coach Jeff Bower is expected to provide details today on how long Chris Paul could be sidelined and discuss the MRI test that was performed Saturday on Paul's severely sprained left ankle. Paul, who had to be helped off the floor after suffering the injury in Friday's loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, did not travel with the team to Atlanta for Saturday night's game and underwent medical tests and evaluations in New Orleans. "You are obviously concerned when any of your players get hurt," Bower said. "Chris' absence changes things quite a bit as far the contributions of everyone on the floor. But we got to look to make up the difference in a number of ..."
November 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On several possessions Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks, Hornets starting shooting guard Devin Brown noticed a big difference in the way New Orleans got into its offensive sets from previous games this season. The Hornets did not have a facilitator who instinctively knew when to run the call given from the bench, deviate from the offense or draw the attention of the defense to create shots for teammates. Without Chris Paul, who missed his first game after his left ankle was severely sprained Friday night against Portland, the Hornets weren't in sync, falling to the surging Hawks 121-98 before a crowd of 18,572 at Philips Arena. Rookie Darren Collison made his first start, filling ..."
November 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On several possessions Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets starting shooting guard Devin Brown noticed a big difference in the way New Orleans got into its offensive sets from previous games this season. The Hornets did not have a facilitator who instinctively knew when to run the call given from the bench, deviate from the offense or draw the attention of the defense to create shots for teammates. Without Chris Paul, who missed his first game after his left ankle was severely sprained Friday night against Portland, the Hornets weren't in sync, falling to the surging Hawks 121-98 before a crowd of 18,572 at Philips Arena. Rookie Darren Collison made his first ..."
November 14
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In his debut game, Hornets Coach Jeff Bower looked concerned after marching on the floor to see his franchise player, Chris Paul, sprawled and writhing in pain from a severely sprained left ankle. With 40.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Paul stepped on the back of Portland's center Joel Pryzbilla's foot after soaring to make a pass to Hilton Armstrong in the lane. As Paul landed awkwardly, his left ankle turned and he landed hard on the floor, grimacing in pain as he tossed his mouthpiece and grabbed his ankle. With Paul having to be carried off the court by teammates Sean Marks and Darius Songaila and not returning, New Orleans lost to Portland 86-78 Friday night in front of ..."
November 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets players gathered at the Alario Center on Thursday morning, team president Hugh Weber met with captains Chris Paul and David West to inform them that Coach Byron Scott was fired and his replacement would be General Manager Jeff Bower. Paul wasn't happy with the decision, and he wasn't pleased with being caught off guard by the announcement. He said New Orleans should have sought his and West's input before the decision was finalized. "I felt like maybe somebody would have at least consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened," Paul said by telephone Thursday night. "It's not to get my approval, but we feel we should know about the decision before it takes place." ..."
November 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets players gathered at the Alario Center on Thursday morning, team president Hugh Weber met with captains Chris Paul and David West to inform them that Coach Byron Scott was fired and his replacement would be General Manager Jeff Bower. Paul wasn't happy with the decision, and he wasn't pleased with being caught off guard by the announcement. He said New Orleans should have sought his and West's input before the decision was finalized. "I felt like maybe somebody would have at least consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened," Paul said by telephone Thursday night. "It's not to get my approval, but we feel we should know about the decision before it takes place." ..."
November 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Even though he was the last one on the floor for Wednesday morning's shootaround at US Airways Center, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul said his slightly sprained left ankle responded to treatment and he'll play tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Paul tweaked the ankle near the end of the first half in Monday night's blowout win over the Los Angeles Clippers when he inadvertantly stepped on the foot of former Hornets guard Rasual Butler after making a short jumpshot just outside the lane. He played the entire third quarter, but was limping noticably at the beginning of the period, before the ankle loosened up. He and the rest of the New Orleans starters sat out the entire fourth period. ..."
November 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The on-court demeanor hasn't changed, Hornets guard Chris Paul wants people to know. Paul's in-game countenance, a perpetual scowl, isn't anything new. It isn't a reflection of any dissatisfaction he might feel as New Orleans has broken from the starting gate with a 2-4 record as it struggles to formulate the kind of seamless chemistry that comes naturally to teams that have played together longer than two weeks. "There's no frustration. I'm fine," Paul, a two-time All-Star and one-time league MVP runner-up, said before the Hornets departed for a three-game West Coast road trip that begins tonight in Staples Center against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. "The only thing is I ..."
November 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With early signs of momentum carrying over from Wednesday night's overtime victory against Dallas, Hornets point guard Chris Paul appeared pleased as he headed to the locker room with his team holding a two-point halftime lead against the Toronto Raptors. However, four minutes into the third quarter, Paul had the same frustrating glare as he did during Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks when the Hornets were thoroughly dominated in the fourth quarter, surrendering 40 points at Madison Square Garden. On Friday night, not even the home-court advantage could save the Hornets as they were undone by the Raptors' franchise-record eight 3-pointers in the third quarter that led to a ..."
November 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The NBA will not take disciplinary action against New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul or Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo for their verbal confrontation after Sunday's game at the TD Garden, league spokesman Tim Frank confirmed Thursday. After the game, Paul sought out Celtics forward Paul Pierce to shake his hand and offer congratulations for his performance. However, before Paul could finish, Rondo came up and bumped him, and that led to the two exchanging words. They had to be separated, and as Rondo was ushered from the court area by a team official, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Paul got into a shouting match in front of the Celtics' bench. Since Monday, the ..."