Paul was playing his second game in as many days on a sprained left ankle but looked much more fluid than he had a day earlier in a lopsided loss to the Pistons.

He played a gutsy 42-plus minutes, prompting coach Byron Scott, someone not prone to hyperbole, to call the young All-Star "a future Hall of Famer."

"It was all Chris Paul," center Tyson Chandler said. "The little man was all over the floor. He was aggressive. He does it offensively. He does it defensively. He was our sparkplug tonight. It was like he took the game over. It was incredible. This is one of the best performances I've seen from him yet. He made his bid to be considered for MVP."

The Hornets finished a two-game season-series sweep of the Bulls and improved to 45-21, getting by despite the absence of forward David West, who missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle.

HORNETS 108, BULLS 97: Guard Chris Paul's heroics helped the Hornets overcome a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter as they finished with a 24-4 run.

The Hornets outscored the Bulls 33-13 in the fourth quarter, holding them to 5-for-18 shooting and forcing seven turnovers after the Bulls had committed just six in the first three quarters.

The Hornets outrebounded the Bulls, 42-40, including 12-8 on the offensive boards. They outscored them 54-30 in the paint and 15-8 on fast-break points.

Paul convinced coach Byron Scott to skip Paul's usual rest at the start of the fourth quarter and play him the entire period.

"I knew if we were going to have a chance," Paul said, "I had to be in there, and I had to be aggressive."