"Guys are going hard, and you are not going to avoid the bumps and bruises," Songaila said. "It's still stiff, but I put ice on it."

Power forward Ike Diogu, who sat out Saturday's practice and has been limited with a strained left knee since camp started last week, ran at full speed during sprinting drills Sunday.

"We're trying to get him (Diogu) in shape, and he's feeling better every day," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "We're not trying to push him along too fast, but we're getting him into some of the offensive things, so he can get a good grasp on what he has to do."

Diogu and center Emeka Okafor are expected to miss the first three preseason games. Okafor sat out his sixth consecutive practice with a sprained right second toe.

PRACTICE WORK: The Hornets practiced for 2 1/2 hours at the Arena, and Scott said his emphasis was for his players to set better screens.

"Every now and then, we are passing each other because the guard is coming too soon, and our big man is not getting down there soon enough," Scott said. "Again, it's something we are going to show them on tape. But this was probably our best practice."

After watching the tape of Saturday's scrimmage, players said they were going to the Superdome to watch the New Orleans Saints-New York Jets game.

Peja Stojakovic did not join them because of a prior family commitment. The Hornets ended training camp Saturday in Lafayette so they could attend the game.

HARDEST JOB: It's apparent the Hornets strongest position is at point guard with starter Chris Paul and backups Darren Collison and Bobby Brown, who all performed well during Saturday's scrimmage.

"The hardest job I'm going to have is deciding what type of rotation and who is going to be on the 12-man roster," Scott said. "The least of my concerns is the point guard situation, which always had been one of my biggest concerns for the past couple of seasons.

"If we can stay healthy, we can be a pretty damn good Basketball team. From a personnel standpoint, we have a lot of pieces that fit. We have a lot of guys in training camp and scrimmages that are playing well."

Collison and Brown have pushed the tempo quickly like Paul. On one possession Saturday, Collison beat Paul off the dribble to break to the basket. At no time did that happen at last season's practices when Paul was matched against Mike James and Antonio Daniels.

"Nothing against the previous guards that we've had, but they didn't push the tempo as much as Darren and Bobby have," Paul said. "With us practicing that way, it won't catch us off guard when we have to play against guards like Tony Parker and Deron Williams."

ADJUSTING: Julian Wright continues to hold the starting small forward spot after six practices, but it appears his biggest adjustment is making mid-range shots under pressure, especially when the 24-second clock is winding down.

He missed several times under those situations Saturday but showed his athleticism in getting to the basket throughout the scrimmage. Scott said Wright is working on his mid-range shooting each day and is improving, but everything revolves around him gaining confidence.

"I'm trying to do everything that they expect," Wright said. "I have to get used to taking those mid-range shots in game-type situations."

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John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.