Greivis Vasquez played like an all-star for the New Orleans Hornets (8-25), propelling his team to a 99-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks(13-21) in overtime.

Both the Mavericks and Hornets had star players return to the starting lineup Saturday night. Dirk Nowitzki for Dallas, and Eric Gordon for New Orleans. While both players had returned from injury a week ago, neither had started. It appeared to be tough on Gordon, who struggled for 48 minutes, but when overtime rolled around, he was electric.

Gordon scored 8 of the Hornets 10 points in overtime, including a three-point play that sealed it late. With the game tied at 96, Gordon got Mavs guard Darren Collison off his feet, drew the foul, then banked in an improbable shot. He sunk the free throw shortly there after. Eric finished the game with 14 points and 4 assists. Despite his overtime success, Gordon knew who the most valuable Hornet was in Saturday's win.

"Greivis played very well," said Gordon of his teammate. "Greivis got it going, and everybody just worked off that."

Vasquez finished with 25 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds while playing a game-high 41 minutes. When his team trailed by 11 in the second half, Vasquez asserted himself offensively to spark a late run. He scored 15 of his 25 in the fourth quarter.

"I'm just playing with confidence," said Vasquez. "Coach is giving me an opportunity, so I want to take advantage. I love playing for this team."

Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith were great off the bench, scoring 16 and 12 respectively. They each pulled down 7 rebounds.

Al-Farouq Aminu returned to the starting lineup and played like a starter. Great defense, energy, and hustle contributed to Aminu's double-double (13 rebounds, 10 points, 3 steals, 3 assists).

The Hornets now return home for more Southwest divisional matchups. Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs come to the Hive, and Wednesday the Hornets will welcome the Houston Rockets. Tip-off for both is set for 7:00.

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