OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chris Paul performed all kinds of amazing feats in launching his All-Star career in Oklahoma City. There was still something missing.”I don’t think I ever hit any game-winners here,” Paul said.Time to check that off of his list.Returning again to the city where his NBA career got started, Paul drove the lane for a layup with 2.7 seconds left to lift the New Orleans Hornets to a 100-98 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.Paul won the Rookie of the Year award after his debut season, when the Hornets played most of their games at the Ford Center after being forced out of their home because of Hurricane Katrina. But all of the big game-winners that season and the next were hit by David West, and not Paul.This time, Paul looked at coach Byron Scott after Kevin Durant’s tying 3-pointer with 13.8 seconds to play and urged him not to call a timeout. That allowed him to attack a Thunder defense that didn’t have a chance to catch its breath and develop a game plan for stopping him.He made up for a drive to the basket one possession earlier that ended with rookie Kyle Weaver swatting his shot to give Oklahoma City the chance to tie in the first place.”It was the same move I made when we were up three and he blocked it. I got my body on him a little bit more,” Paul said.The Thunder are now 1-7 in games decided by two points or less.”It’s tough, man, especially when the game was pretty much in your hands — guarding the guy that scores the last bucket,” Weaver said. “It’s going to sting a little bit.”David West led the Hornets with 37 points and 13 rebounds, while Paul finished with 21 points and eight assists in the team’s first game since trading starting center Tyson Chandler to the Thunder earlier in the day for veterans Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox, plus second-round pick DeVon Hardin.Chandler was due to make about $12 million next season, and the move helps keep the Hornets under the salary cap.”It really bothers me the fact that it came down to a basketball decision as opposed to something dealing with basketball. Coach told us before the game, as much as he meant to this basketball team and as close as we were to him, it’s a business and when the games come before us, we’ve got to be ready to play.”- – – -Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]