Hornets beat Clippers, are No. 2 in West

NEW ORLEANS -- The Clippers put up a fight for a half Tuesday night before the New Orleans Hornets decisively clinched the No. 2 seeding in the Western Conference playoffs with a 114-92 victory.

After losing three of its last four, New Orleans struggled before handing the Clippers their sixth straight loss by going on 26-6 spurt in the third quarter. The Clippers, who haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since Feb. 22, are 4-25 in their last 29 games.

David West scored 32 points and Chris Paul had 12 during the pivotal run to help the Hornets clinch the Southwest Division only three seasons after going 18-64, the first in the franchise’s 20-year history.

Coach Byron Scott earned his 300th win.

Trailing 56-51 after Cuttino Mobley’s three-point basket early in the third quarter, the Hornets scored 12 of the next 14 points to take the lead for good, then pulled away quickly.

New Orleans led by at least 12 points the rest of the way and poured it on in the fourth quarter, going ahead by as many as 31.

Paul finished with 22 points and 12 assists.

Rookie Al Thornton led the Clippers with 26 points. Corey Maggette added 13 off the bench.

“We were in it until the second half, when Chris Paul broke us down a little bit and we didn’t have an answer for that,” said the Clippers’ Elton Brand, who had nine points and four rebounds in 35 minutes. “We tried different defensive schemes, but he’s a heck of a player.”

TONIGHT

at Houston, 5:30 PST, FSN West

Site -- Toyota Center.

Radio -- 710.

Records -- Clippers 23-58, Rockets 54-27.

Record vs. Rockets -- 0-2.

Update -- If the Rockets win, they play the loser of tonight’s Utah-San Antonio game without home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs unless there is a four-way tie involving Houston, Utah, San Antonio and Phoenix, with the Rockets then playing the Suns.

-- Jonathan Abrams