--Coach Byron Scott switched back to Ryan Bowen over Melvin Ely as David West's primary replacement against the Bulls. Bowen started in West's place when West missed three games because of a sprained left ankle two weeks ago.
When West was sidelined a second time (because of a sprained right ankle) against the Pistons on Sunday, Scott started Ely instead of Bowen, but the pair's roles were reversed again Monday. Scott said Bowen's superior defense earned him the nod over Ely, who scored 15 points in the loss to the Pistons. --The Hornets are 11-3 in second games of back-to-back games. They are 4-1 in the second game of sets in which they have lost the first game.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "At half-speed, he's still probably better than 60 or 70 percent of the guards in the league." -- Coach Byron Scott on point guard Chris Paul, who is limited by a sprained left ankle.
