By: Tyler Ward
The overtime fever was still intact on Thursday night as the New Orleans Hornets took on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Despite winning the game, the Hornets' night may have ended bittersweet.
David West, a perpetual leader for the squad, injured his left knee on a late dunk and was forced to leave the game.
He was taken out of the game on a wheelchair after tying the game at 103 with a late game dunk.
West finished the night with 29 points, but he would not help the Hornets in overtime.
The game ended in regulation tied at 105 after Emeka Okafor banked in a shot before the buzzer. The Jazz seemed to have had the game in hand after Paul Millsap's two free throws put them up by two points with 1.3 seconds left in regulation.
Then it was Okafor's time to shine. The former UConn star banked it in to send the game into an extra period.
Monty Williams' scrappy Hornets battled in overtime, eventually pulling away and handing the Jerry Sloan-less Jazz their third loss in four games.
Reserve Aaron Gray played splendidly in the extra period, adding in six points, while star point guard Chris Paul added another five points.
Paul would finish the game with a double-double, posting 24 points and 12 assists. The Hornets moved the ball around, as Paul, West, and five other players scored in double digits.
Jarrett Jack ended the game with 15 points, Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli added 14, and Okafor finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
The Jazz got great contributions from Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, as both played great in the loss. Millsap finished with a game-high 33 points and a steady 11 rebounds. Jefferson also posted a double-double, posting 22 points and 13 rebounds.
It just wasn't enough to overcome the Hornets as the Jazz are slowly falling out of the playoff picture. The Jazz are currently 36-37, once being 14 games above the .500 mark. The Hornets are now 10 games above .500, showing a 41-31 record.
