NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Matt Harpring single-handedly prevented the

Utah Jazz from folding on the road yet again.

Harpring tied a season-high with 28 points, finishing with eight

consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to lead Utah to a

98-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

New Orleans overcame a 14-point, second-half deficit to take an

85-84 lead before Harpring sparked a 10-0 Utah run that put the

Hornets back in a nine-point hole with just under 2 minutes left.

"It just felt different tonight. I felt that we were going to

win even when they came close," Harpring said.

Harping converted three-point plays on a driving left-handed

layup and a fast-break dunk during the crucial stretch. He also had

a left-handed layup to finish another aggressive drive in the lane.

New Orleans was without starting center Jamaal Magloire, as well

as reserve center Chris Anderson (sprained right ankle), who had

seven blocks in New Orleans' last game. Harpring took notice of the

Hornets' lack of size inside and challenged his defenders, Lee

Nailon and Bostjan Nachbar.

"I had a feeling I could take them down low," Harpring said.

"They don't have any really strong shot blockers ... so I could

just take it strong to the goal and either score or get fouled."

New Orleans lost its seventh consecutive home game, while Utah

snapped an eight-game road losing streak.

J.R. Smith scored 18 for New Orleans, many on difficult,

off-balance fades as he angled through the lane. Reserve David West

hit his first six shots, four of them in the fourth quarter, to

help the Hornets rally for their brief lead. He finished with 15

points, as did Nailon. P.J. Brown grabbed 13 rebounds.

"Some losses hurt more than others, like this one tonight,"

Brown said. "You're one up with four minutes to go in the game and

you're on your home floor -- you've got to win the game. You've got

to turn it up a notch. I've been there before, I've been in that

situation so many times. ... It's just frustrating and I wish I

could just give some of that experience (to the younger Hornets),

but I can't. It hurts. We all hurt."

Harpring and Nailon, who bickered on several occasions, both

were ejected with 3.4 seconds left, well after the game had been

decided.

"I can't really say what he was saying to me," Harpring said.

"When you've got someone just yapping away at you ... especially

when they're losing. When is he going to understand that? Look at

the scoreboard. We're winning the game. What (was he) yapping

about? ... And I said, 'Shut up!' And he didn't like that."

Mehmet Okur and Keith McLeod each scored 12 points for Utah,

while Kirk Snyder added 11.

Utah ran pick-and-rolls effectively through much of the first

three quarters and used the play to set up an easy layup for Gordan

Giricek and get Okur to the line for free throws, which helped Utah

build a 57-43 lead with 8:12 left in the third period.

New Orleans closed to 63-59 with a 12-3 run that opened with Dan

Dickau's 3-pointer, followed by Nailon's two jumpers and putback

dunk.

McLeod helped Utah respond by hitting a jumper coming off a

screen and then picking off a bad pass and taking it all the way

for a dunk. Okur hit a jumper shortly after, giving the Jazz a

72-63 lead heading into the final quarter.

New Orleans opened the game quickly, leading 17-8 after Brown

followed his own miss with a tip-in. Utah came back with a 13-2 run

fueled by Snyder, who had a pair of driving layups, a put-back

after he missed a free throw and a 3-pointer. The run gave the Jazz

a 21-19 lead.

After New Orleans tied the game at 31 on Nachbar's three-point

play on the break, Utah closed the second quarter with a 16-8 run.

Harpring had six of those points, including a fast-break dunk and a

14-foot jumper, putting Utah ahead 47-39 at halftime.Game notes
The game matched two of the worst teams in the Western

Conference at a time when both were missing key players. In

addition to Magloire and Andersen, New Orleans also was without

point guard Speedy Claxton (strained right groin). Brown, normally

a forward, started at center. The Jazz were without F Andrei

Kirilenko (broken left wrist) and Carlos Boozer (strained right

foot). ... Utah and New Orleans are 2-2 against each other. ...

Utah improved to 5-17 on the road against the Western Conference.