Houston, TX (Sports Network) - David West went off for 26 points while hauling in 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets stung the Houston Rockets, 87-82, in a game that went down to the wire.

Chris Paul scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists for New Orleans, which has won five of six and 10 of its last 12 games. Jannero Pargo came off the bench for 10 points, as the Hornets picked up their seventh straight road win, improving to 15-5 as the visitor this season.

"I look at our (road) record and I try and figure how we are winning all these games," explained New Orleans head coach Byron Scott. "This team has a resolve and a resiliency. It's a great accomplishment so far. Fifteen and five is one of the best records in the NBA, and we feel good on the road."

Yao Ming poured in 30 points and grabbed 16 boards for Houston, which had a season-high five game winning streak snapped. Rafer Alston added 12 points and seven assists, as the Rockets dropped to 9-7 at home. Luther Head and Aaron Brooks each chipped in with 11 points. Houston lost for just the third time in 10 games since losing its leading scorer, Tracy McGrady, with a left knee injury.

An 8-3 Hornets run cut the deficit to 70-67, with 8:09 left. But it took New Orleans until 1:55 to play before it evened the game, doing so at 78-78. The Hornets were in the midst of a 7-0 burst when Pargo drained a layup for the tie. After a Yao turnover, Rasual Butler slammed New Orleans into the lead, 80-78, with 1:35 to play, despite being fouled on the dunk by Head. Butler converted from the stripe, pushing the Hornets ahead, 81-78.

The Rockets immediately returned the favor, as Yao nailed a turnaround jumper to narrow the New Orleans lead to a point. On the ensuing Hornets possession, West bricked a jumper, and Luis Scola hauled in the rebound for the Rockets.

Tyson Chandler got whistled for harming Yao on a shot to foul out, and Yao stroked both free throws to give Houston an 82-81 edge with 34 seconds to go in the game.

But Paul then took over for New Orleans, driving into the lane and laying it in for two, putting the Hornets back on top by one with 29 seconds remaining. When Yao missed a jumper on the other end, the Rockets were forced to foul, and Paul went a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe in the final 14 seconds to thrust New Orleans to the victory.

"It's a very disappointing loss; it's a frustrating loss," lamented Houston head coach Rick Adelman. "One thing we didn't do is we didn't finish in the fourth quarter like we should. Even before the last two minutes, we had our chances to maintain the six- or eight-point lead and we didn't do it. That's disappointing. We have to learn how to finish games better than that"

The Hornets closed out the opening quarter on a 14-6 flurry. Paul piled on the last five points, including a three-pointer as time expired, and handed out two assists to highlight the run. When the first frame came to a finish, New Orleans had built a 26-18 lead.

The Rockets came out strong in the second period, ripping off a 10-2 scoring streak to knot the game at 28-28. Alston capped the burst when he connected from beyond-the-arc with 9:04 to play.

New Orleans caught fire again, finishing the first half on a 9-2 run. West scored six points, and Peja Stojakovic made a free-throw with two seconds on the clock, as the Hornets took a 46-39 advantage into the locker rooms.

"It was a great win," said Stojakovic. "We are playing good basketball and hopefully we'll get better...we have a long way to go. I'm used to seeing (Adelman's offense), but it's a pleasure to see Coach. He's trying to get more ball movement, and he's succeeded, and it's working with them."

Houston took the end of the third quarter by storm, exploding for an 18-2 barrage that carried into the final frame. Alston's second free throw with 2:14 to go in the third gave the Rockets nine straight points and the lead, 57-56, for the first time since the 7:46 mark of the opening period. Brooks hit from the charity stripe to close the streak with 10:37 remaining in the game, as Houston jumped out in front, 66-58.