=== New Orleans Hornets Team Report - April 5 ===

(My Sportsbook) - The struggling Hornets had their recent woes extended Sunday night, as they fell 96-88 to the Seattle SuperSonics at KeyArena.

Jamaal Magloire netted a team-high 17 points, as the Hornets lost for the fifth time in their last six games. New Orleans fell into a tie with idle Miami for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Both are a game behind Milwaukee for fourth in the standings, as the Bucks defeated Toronto earlier on Sunday.

Seattle took total control of the game in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half with an 11-4 run to grab a commanding 63-44 advantage. Brent Barry scored seven points during the spurt and capped it with a three-pointer from the top of the key, while Ray Allen added a pair of layups.

Barry drained another long-range shot three minutes later to expand the Sonics' lead to 72-49. Allen answered his teammate's performance and knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to put Seattle up 80-57 after 36 minutes.

With the win, Seattle swept the two-game season series versus the Hornets. The Sonics won in New Orleans back on March 19.

Shammond Williams scored 14 points, while David Wesley and Darrell Armstrong had 12 and 10 points, respectively for New Orleans. The Hornets have lost 11 of their last 16 games overall.

The Hornets have five games remaining on their schedule, including a contest in Sacramento on Tuesday against the Kings. New Orleans is 1-3 during its current West coast swing.