Hornets beat cold-shooting Clippers 108-100 to snap 7-game road skid and sweep season series

Hornets beat cold-shooting Clippers 108-100

LOS ANGELES — David West scored 24 points and the New Orleans Hornets snapped a seven-game road losing streak with a 108-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, completing a four-game season sweep.

New Orleans beat the Clippers for the 13th straight time since a 100-90 loss on Jan. 8, 2007, in Oklahoma City, which was the Hornets’ temporary home for one season because of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

Darren Collison, New Orleans’ first-round draft pick out of UCLA, had 18 points and 14 assists. Emeka Okafor, the only player to start all 68 games for the injury-depleted Hornets, had 14 rebounds and 12 points. James Posey, who wasn’t able to travel with the team to Phoenix because of flulike symptoms, rejoined them at Staples Center but didn’t play.

The Clippers lost their eighth straight game overall and 10th in their last 11. Baron Davis had 18 points and 17 assists after getting in early foul trouble.

Eric Gordon missed all seven shots from 3-point range and was 3 for 12 overall with 10 points after missing the previous five games with a groin injury. Reserve forward Craig Smith wasn’t able to play because of a migraine.

All-Star center Chris Kaman missed 10 of his first 11 shots and was 3 for 15 overall with just eight points in 31 minutes against the Hornets — the same team that ended his career-best streak of six straight 20-point games on Nov. 9 in Los Angeles.

The Clippers led 50-46 at halftime despite Kaman’s horrendous shooting, as Rasual Butler, Drew Gooden and Davis all reached double digits. Kaman’s only points in the half were the result of a short turnaround hook shot with 11:50 left in the second quarter. He didn’t make another basket until Davis set him up for a dunk with 7:43 left in the third.

The lead changed hands five times early in the fourth quarter before the Hornets went on a 15-2 run and opened a 102-89 lead with 4:03 remaining. Morris Peterson broke an 87-all tie with a 3-pointer, reserve Marcus Thornton added two more 3s during the rally and West capped it with a 19-footer.

NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft whose rookie season was derailed because a stress fracture in his left kneecap that occurred in the team’s final preseason game, turns 21 years old on Tuesday. Griffin underwent surgery on Jan. 20, and is expected to be ready for the start of camp next fall. … Hornets backup C Sean Marks underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday. The 34-year-old New Zealander played only 75 minutes this season, spanning 14 games. He appeared in a career-high 60 games last season with New Orleans after stints with Toronto, Miami, San Antonio and Phoenix. … The Clippers are 4-15 since Kim Hughes replaced Mike Dunleavy as coach, and 0-4 since Neil Olshey assumed Dunleavy’s duties as general manager. … The Hornets are 30-29 since general manager Jeff Bower took over as coach when Byron Scott was fired on Nov. 12 — including a 110-102 win at New Orleans in Bower’s first game in the dual role. … The Clippers are one of three teams that have active losing streaks of eight or more games, along with Minnesota and Washington. Chicago is on a seven-game slide.