Hornets edge Spurs by nine to remain perfect

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, (Reuters) – The New Orleans  Hornets beat Southwest division rivals San Antonio 99-90 on  Saturday to improve to 3-0 on the young NBA season.

The Hornets, who had built a 78-60 lead early in the fourth  quarter, had to weather a furious rally by the Spurs that  reduced the deficit to just three points with a little over two  minutes remaining before the Hornets scored the final six  points.

“It is gratifying to come in here and get a win,” Hornets  coach Monty Williams said. “Any road win is big.

“At the same time, we have a lot to improve on.

“Our locker room is coming together because they are  starting to understand the importance of defence.”

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 25 points, seven rebounds  and five assists, while Manu Ginobili was the top scorer for  San Antonio with 23 points and Richard Jefferson added 18  points including 10 in the fourth quarter rally.
David West added 18 points for the Hornets and Marcus  Thornton scored 17 points in more than 30 minutes off the  bench.