New Orleans looked like champions today, beating Houston 119-108. "That's the best we've seen them for a while," said an overwhelmed Houston coach Bob. "None of the tapes we had of them showed the fluid execution that we saw out there today, and frankly we just weren't prepared as well as they were. I take full responsibility for that; with better preparation we could have won. Instead they just took over the game and never let us back in."

New Orleans was led by Fletcher (20 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Taylor (16 points, a steal, a block), Howie (26 points, 0 assists). Houston was led by Mackey (18 points, 8 assists, a block), Cooper (5 points, 12 assists, 4 steals), James (19 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, a block).

New Orleans stand at 17-13. They hold at #3 in the Southwest and stay at #6 overall in the Western Conference. Houston fall to 13-16 and 8-7 at home. They move down to #5 in the Southwest and move down to #8 overall in the Western Conference.

box score New Orleans roster Houston roster