NEW ORLEANS, March 22 (UPI) -- Chris Kaman paced a second-half comeback with 20 points Thursday, bringing the New Orleans Hornets a 97-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles led by as many as 11 points in the third period but the Hornets came back to take the lead for good on a jumper by Xavier Henry with 8:03 remaining. The Clippers were held to 11 points over the final 12 minutes.
Jason Smith added 17 points for the Hornets but he was kicked out of the game in the fourth period for a flagrant foul. He was ejected after tackling the Clippers' Blake Griffin.
Chris Paul played against his former team for the first time since being traded to Los Angeles prior to the start of the season. He played 425 games with the Hornets and averaged 18.7 points per contest in his time with the team. Paul scored 16 points with nine assists Thursday.
Griffin scored 21 points with 11 rebounds in Los Angeles' third straight loss.
