West leads unbeaten Hornets over Bucks

MILWAUKEE (AP) — David West made 10-of-12 shots and scored a season-high 25 points, and the New Orleans Hornets remained unbeaten with an 87-81 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Chris Paul and Marco Belinelli each added 14 for the Hornets, who at 6-0 are off to their best start in franchise history. They entered play under rookie coach Monty Williams as one of only three undefeated teams in the NBA after beating the Miami Heat on Friday.

Andrew Bogut had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his return to the lineup for Milwaukee after missing Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a migraine. John Salmons added 14 points for the Bucks, who dropped to 2-5.

While Milwaukee looked sluggish for most of the first three quarters, there was no letdown for the Hornets after their 96-93 victory over the Heat on Friday.

They led 41-35 at halftime despite 13 first-half turnovers after Belinelli sank a 64-foot, three-quarter court shot at the halftime buzzer.

West scored 10 points in the third quarter, and the Hornets led by as many as 13 points in the period. They led 65-54 after three, but Milwaukee used an 11-2 run to cut it to 67-65 on Brandon Jennings’ 3-pointer.

Milwaukee hung tight but got no closer the rest of the way.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s follow shot made it 84-81 with 1:48 left, but Drew Gooden then missed two free throws with 1:09 remaining that would have made it a one-point game.

The Bucks again had a chance to cut into the lead on their next possession, but West picked off Salmons’ errant pass with 42 seconds left, and Paul sealed it with a running baseline jumper with 21.5 seconds remaining.

Milwaukee made just 38.6 percent of its shots and 25 percent (4 of 16) of its 3-pointers.

Migraines have been a recurring problem for Bogut, who also missed a preseason game on Oct. 16 with one. He said it typically takes 48 hours to feel symptom-free and that he still had a minor headache and some light sensitivity prior to the game Saturday.

Notes: Bogut’s 14 rebounds gave him 3,059 for his career, moving him into 10th place in franchise history ahead of Ervin Johnson (3,050). … The Bucks will not play the Hornets again this season. It is the second-fastest the Bucks have closed out a season series. … Bucks coach Scott Skiles is now 9-20 all-time against the Hornets.