By By Richard Dark / EMG sports writer
Nov. 4, 2002
NEW ORLEANS Former Miami Heat players Jamal Mashburn and P.J. Brown made sure they were able to show their former coach Pat Riley it will be much tougher to beat them inside their brand new digs.
Mashburn went off for 35 points, including a couple of late crucial buckets to in the closing minutes to stave off a surging Miami rally, as New Orleans beat the Heat, 100-95 in front of a rocking New Orleans Arena crowd of 15,419 on Saturday night.
Brown had a workmanlike effort of 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The latter was crucial because the Heat won the battle of the boards by nearly double digits.
The unsung hero of the night for the Hornets was David Wesley, in the pivotal third quarter, Wesley pumped in 14 of his 19 to help fuel a 21-9 third quarter surge that got New Orleans back into the contest, the rabid throng urging them on every step of the way.
In the first half, the Hornets (2-1) looked sluggish coming off the back end of a back-to-back games. Poor shooting (39 percent) coupled with a big first half from former Hornet Eddie Jones combined to put the hosts in a 12-point rut at the break. He paced the Heat (1-1) with 30 points and eight boards.
Do you remember?
Former Alabama star Keith Askins. The former Crimson Tide standout is now an assistant coach for the Heat. Askins is a NBA lifer with the south Florida team, having spent his entire playing career there before picking up the clipboard three seasons ago.
Star gazing
Among the usual Big Easy celebrities in the audience were a couple of other marquee stars. Academy award-winning actors, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, in town working on the John Grisham movie, Runaway Jury, were spotted taking in the action. Other castmates were there as well. Hoffman and John Cusak also attended the Saints/Falcons game.
Tough break
Alonzo Mourning, the biggest name on the Heats roster, is expected to sit on the bench all season long due to his kidney disease. The formal medical term for his condition is focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
Up next
The Hornets stay in the Crescent City for a Wednesday night date with the Seattle Supersonics. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.