But none of it would have been possible without point guard Chris Paul.
On a night when he shot 3 for 17 from the field, Paul was still able to force overtime with a length-of-the-court drive that resulted in a game-tying layup with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Had Paul not prolonged the game, the Hornets wouldn't have had a chance to beat Milwaukee 109-101 in double-overtime before a crowd of 17,364 inside the Ford Center.
Nor would there have been three record-breaking rebounding performances — West with a career-high 19 rebounds; Chandler tying his career high of 22 rebounds for the fourth time; and the Hornets grabbing a franchise-record 71 boards.
With 7.3 seconds left in regulation, Paul scurried up the court with 5-foot-5 Milwaukee guard Earl Boykins bumping and impeding his progress the entire way.
Paul calmly squirmed his way underneath and tied the game.
The entire sequence was improvisational and instinctive.
"I'm just reacting to how he's defending,” Paul said. "Just try to get to the basket, try to keep him off-balance. When nobody helps (defensively), then I go.”
Afterward, Paul sat inside the locker room with ice taped to his right triceps, both knees and his right ankle.
Paul said he bruised his triceps muscle earlier in the game. Was that the reason for his 14 missed shots?
"Nope. I just couldn't make one,” a smiling Paul said, refusing a convenient excuse.
Despite a difficult shooting night, Paul still managed his 14th double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists.
His timely heroics surprised no one inside the Hornets' locker room.
"His presence alone, his ability to attack, his ability to get to the rim, he has the talent to control the game,” West said of Paul. "Regardless of how he was shooting the ball, he was still important for us.”
Chandler said: "That's what it's all about. It's about guys who don't hang their head.
"On this team, nobody's ever going to point the finger. We're always going to stand up for each other.”
Extra periods again deliver Hornets' win Hornets... 02/09/2007 Knowing full well his team entered Thursday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a perfect 3-0 record in overtime, Hornets coach Byron Scott joked...
