New Orleans 111; L.A. Clippers 108

LOS ANGELES, March 4 (UPI) -- Jamal Mashburn and Davis Wesley combined for 23 points in the final period Monday night as New Orleans held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-108.

For the Hornets, the win was their seventh straight, and it made interim Clippers Coach Dennis Johnson a loser in his debut.

Wesley had 14 of his 23 points in the final 12 minutes, and Mashburn added nine of his 35 for the Hornets, who made 10-of-16 shots and 14-of-16 free throws.

"I got it going by penetrating," Wesley said. "I think that made me more aggressive, maybe got my legs a little bit more lively. When you get into rhythm, you can get a bunch in a hurry."

"It all stems with Mash," said New Orleans Coach Paul Silas. "He just made some ungodly shots there at the end to keep the opposing team at bay. That's important, to know who the go-to guy is."

The Hornets led by as many as 10 in the quarter, and had a 109-100 cushion with just 27.5 seconds to play, but Los Angeles scored eight of the final 10 points and nearly completed a stunning comeback in its first game under Johnson, who was named interim coach after Alvin Gentry was fired earlier Monday.

"The main thing is that we have to go out and at least start to build on something and let it be continuous," Johnson said. "Out of the loss, you also gain positives."

Quentin Richardson sank consecutive three-pointers just nine seconds apart to bring the Clippers to within 109-106 with 16.3 seconds left. Mashburn made 1-of-2 free throws at the other end before Andre Miller sank a layup for Los Angeles to make it 110-108 with seven seconds to go.

"Basically, coach said let the team play," said Clippers forward Corey Maggette. "We all played with a strong effort. We have to play hard and continue to do what we have to do."

New Orleans guard Kenny Anderson made 1-of-2 free throws with six seconds left. Los Angeles, which was out of timeouts, rushed the ball downcourt, but Miller missed a wide-open three-pointer as time expired.

"That's just part of the NBA," Mashburn said. "They hit a couple of threes. We did what we had to do to win the game."

Jamaal Magloire had 13 points and nine rebounds, and P.J. Brown added 12 and 10 for the Hornets, who have won seven straight games for the first time since last March.

"We're pretty good right now," Wesley said. "We're hitting our stride when we need to. When we get Baron (Davis) back, we will be going into the playoffs with the right people."

Maggette scored 24 points off the bench and Richardson added 22 for the Clippers, who have lost six straight to match their longest slide of the season.

Miller finished with 21 points as Los Angeles lost for the 15th time in its last 18 games.