Sixers rally to whip Hornets in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - Jrue Holiday wears a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet all the time. However, 76ers fans want to know What Will Jrue Do to lift the Sixers to the next level.

On Wednesday, they got a glimpse of what the precocious point guard can do when he is in domination mode, which is where he was when he packed in 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter of the Sixers' 101-93 victory over the Hornets in front of 12,387 at New Orleans Arena.

"Jrue was magnificent coming down the stretch," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "He hit some huge shots for us. And at the end, our defense stiffened and we were able to get their guards under control."

Holiday added eight assists, but on this night it was his scoring late that stung the Hornets.

In a stretch that lasted a little less than four minutes, Holiday had back-to-back three-pointers, a running floater, and a 23-footer just shy of being another three-pointer.

The stretch enabled the Sixers, who got great, all-around efforts from a number of players, to turn what had been an 86-83 lead in a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter into a comfortable, 98-89 advantage with 46.7 seconds to play.

"I was hot like Pistol," Holiday said, referencing a mention made by Collins of legendary shooter "Pistol" Pete Maravich, the Hall of Famer who is from these parts. "I guess I just looked to be aggressive tonight in the fourth quarter."

While Holiday shone the brightest against the Hornets (2-3), he was by no means a lone star.

Evan Turner played a huge role in helping the Sixers recover from a slow start, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the second quarter, when the Sixers (3-2) fell behind by 14 points. The second-year man also chipped in with six rebounds and four assists.

"The young guys showed up and played really, really well for us," Elton Brand said.

So did Brand, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Spencer Hawes continued to play at a high level, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high four blocks. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young finished with 10 points each. And though Andre Iguodala struggled with his offense, finishing with six points on 2-for-10 shooting, he got a game-high six steals.

The Hornets, who led by 14 points early in the second quarter, were led by Eric Gordon with 22 points. He and backcourt mate Jarrett Jack, who finished with 19 points and 11 assists, hurt the Sixers early on. However, they shot just 7 for 20 in the second half.

On Friday, the Sixers will play their first home game of the season, the last home opener in the league.

They are 3-2 after an arduous start to the season, and now they look forward to a schedule in which they will play 15 of their next 18 games at home. They host Detroit on Tuesday.

"It's a good place for us to be," Brand said. "I think we all like what we have done so far."