Williams leads Jazz to rout of Hornets

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Deron Williams had 26 points and 11 assists, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles provided big plays down the stretch, and the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Hornets 105-87 on Wednesday night.The Hornets dropped their second straight and fell to 11-3.Williams had eight assists in the first quarter, and 14 points by halftime. Jefferson then scored 10 fourth-quarter points as the Jazz (11-5) turned a five-point game into a rout.Jefferson finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Millsap added 17 points and seven boards.Chris Paul led New Orleans with 17 points and nine assists.The Hornets, fresh off a 99-95 loss to the lowly Clippers, took a 6-0 lead to start the game, but the Jazz were determined not to fall down by double digits again. This time Millsap and Raja Bell got Utah going offensively with nine points apiece in the first quarter.Williams missed his first three shots but finished the quarter strong, hitting a 3-pointer then completing a three-point play that gave the Jazz a 31-30 lead – only the third time at home this season they have led after one quarter.The Jazz started the second quarter on a 13-4 run for a 44-34 lead, fueled by reserves Earl Watson, Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson and C.J. Miles. They received a standing ovation from the crowd for their effort.The Hornets had been allowing a league-low 91.1 points per game. Utah was two-thirds of the way there at halftime thanks to 57 percent shooting, 14 assists and a 20-13 advantage in rebounds.New Orleans was within five points with 10:10 left in the game. Then Jefferson hit a shot and grabbed a defensive rebound, and the Hornets never got closer than nine points.

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