Chris Paul scores 17 points to lift New Orleans past Indiana
Chris Paul scored 17 points, and the New Orleans Hornets beat the Pacers 105-71 in Indiana's preseason opener on Wednesday night.
Former Pacer Peja Stojakovic scored 14 points and Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who topped Golden State 106-103 in their preseason opener on Sunday.
It was the first time Pacers fans got to see their new-look team. The Pacers made two draft-day moves that brought seven new players, including point guards T.J. Ford from Toronto and Jarrett Jack from Portland.
Ford led the Pacers with 15 points in just under 20 minutes. Jack had 11 points and eight rebounds, but had eight turnovers.
Indiana's Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Travis Diener sat out with injuries.
The Pacers used the game to pay respect to their past. It was played at the Pepsi Coliseum, the team's home in the 1960s and '70s during its American Basketball Association days, instead of Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Pacers pulled out their white throwback uniforms, and even brought back their old coach for a quarter. Pacers coach Jim O'Brien spent the first quarter helping on the radio broadcast, while former coach and current radio commentator Bobby "Slick"
Leonard returned to the sideline. Leonard became the Pacers' coach in 1969 and led them to three ABA championships before the league merged with the NBA.
Leonard, wearing a salmon-colored suit jacket, threw up a ceremonial opening tip before moving to the bench. Many former ABA Pacers were introduced during a halftime ceremony.
New Orleans led 27-20 at the end of the first quarter, and would have been up 10 if Jared Jordan would have released his three-quarter-court heave a few moments earlier. The Hornets led 52-42 at halftime, and 78-48 at the end of the third quarter.
Notes:@ Eight Hornets players, including 2008 All-Stars Paul and David West, met presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday and took a picture with him. Obama was in Indianapolis for a campaign stop. ... Indiana rookie center Roy Hibbert was given a flagrant two foul and ejected in the fourth quarter for hitting New Orleans' Melvin Ely with an elbow. ... Austin Croshere, a free agent Indiana got last month, started the game. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Pacers before playing the past two seasons for Dallas and Golden State. He finished with one point and seven rebounds in 15 minutes.
