Sixers rout ice-cold Hornets

Philadelphia - Andre Iguodala scored 16 points, snared 10 rebounds and dished out five assists as the Philadelphia 76ers dominated the New Orleans Hornets, 88-70, in front of 13,884 during a Sunday matinee at Wells Fargo Center.

Lou Williams added 17 points and five helpers off the bench for the suddenly resurgent Sixers, who have won six of the past seven games on their home floor. Elton Brand contributed his eighth double-double of the year with 15 points and a game-high 13 boards.

"The mentality around the team is great," Brand said. "Five out of seven. We had a lead out in Atlanta, big lead and the one-point loss the other day [to Boston]. That could have been seven in a row. We would have been one of the most talked about teams in the league, so they know we can play. We are just working hard to get better."

Jrue Holiday also hit double figures in the Sixers' balanced attack, scoring 12 points with five rebounds and four assists as Philadelphia held New Orleans to a season-low 70 points in the contest.

The Sixers dominated from the opening tip thanks in large part to a pathetic shooting performance by the Hornets. New Orleans made just 6-of-42 shots for a dismal 14.3 shooting percentage in the first half as Philadelphia built up a 45-23 edge. The 23 points was just one off a floor record for futility.

"I think it's a mixture," Williams said of the Hornets' problems. "It's a mixture of recognizing that they are struggling on the offensive end and being aggressive as well and not allowing them to get in a rhythm. Not allowing them to get back in the basketball game."

The Hornets' 13 points in the opening quarter was a season-low for a Sixers' opponent as was their 10 points and the second frame and the 23 overall in the opening half. Meanwhile, their four total was one off the all-time NBA worst of three.

"Give them credit," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "They switched, they're active and athletic. But we missed a lot of point blank shots and we missed a lot of free throws. "

All-Star Chris Paul was evidently the only Hornet to get the early wake-up call, scoring a game-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting. His teammates finished 16-of-67 from the floor (23.9 percent). David West accounted for nine points and eight rebounds and Trevor Ariza grabbed 10 boards for the Hornets, who have lost two in a row and four of their last five.

Asked if he could take anything positive out of the game Paul deadpanned ""Positives in the game? I don't know. It was an early game and my family is in Miami so we can get there a little earlier."