Desperate to end a three-game losing streak, the New Orleans Hornets got needed help Wednesday night with the return of shooting guard Eric Gordon, who had missed the previous four games with a bruised right knee. But even with Gordon scoring a team-high 22 points, it wasn’t enough for the Hornets to prevent a 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in front of 12,387 at the New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets (2-4) were ineffective again in the fourth quarter as their losing streak reached four games.

This time they blew a six-point lead after turning the ball over six times and allowing 60 percent shooting (12 of 20) in the final period by the 76ers. The Hornets, who have not won since a Dec. 28 game against the Boston Celtics, were outscored 34-20 in the quarter.

In every game during the streak, they have been outscored in the fourth quarter, including 24-16 in Monday night’s 94-90 loss to the Utah Jazz.

“We have to look at film before I make a rash decision,’’ Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “I know there are some things I can do better to help our guys.’’

It was Gordon’s first game back since he made the winning shot with 4.2 seconds remaining in New Orleans’ season-opening 85-84 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 26.

Unlike his game in Phoenix, Gordon missed six of seven shots in the fourth quarter Wednesday night. He finished 8-of-22 and went 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

“We had too many lapses on defense where they hit some tough shots and we weren’t scoring offensively,’’ Gordon said. “We hurt ourselves by taking too many jump shots and not attacking the rim.’’

Gordon opened the game by hitting his first four shots, including a 3-pointer. His 11-point first quarter helped the Hornets take an early 13-point lead that eventually went to 14 before the first half ended with the Hornets leading 47-40.

Behind Gordon’s 20 points, the Hornets led 73-67 after three quarters, but they could not hold their momentum.

“I told our guys when you look back at a game like this, average teams lose, and teams that want to be good they find a way to win,’’ Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said.

Forward Thaddeus Young’s dunk spurred a 6-0 run that enabled the 76ers to surge ahead 89-83 with 4:18 remaining. Hornets guard Jarrett Jack made two free throws and a close-range shot to cut the deficit to 89-87.

However, point guard Jrue Holiday answered by hitting his third 3-pointer in the quarter that allowed 76ers to extend their lead to 98-89 with 46.7 seconds remaining. Besides Holiday scoring 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth, Philadelphia had five steals in the quarter.

“Holiday made some big plays for them down the stretch, but we should have never been in that position,’’ said Hornets backup center Chris Kaman, who scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.

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

A new beginning? You can call it that, if you look back on the six-season era of CP3. What you had Wednesday night was a welcome-back-home to the man that spanned both eras.

I say this remembering it was at an early stage of last season, with the New Orleans Hornets on their way to coming out of the starting bocks a surprising 8-0, that I posed the question to Chris Paul.

“What do you think about your rookie head coach?’’

There was no hesitation.

“He knows how to relate,’’ came the reply from the All-Pro point guard. “All coaches are busy sending messages. In some cases, not all messages are received. Coach (Monty) Williams makes contact, and that has plenty to do with the man and his personality. You get the message because you respect the messenger.’’

The messenger at the time was 39, the youngest head coach in the NBA, and once he started talking you realized you were dealing in mutual admiration.

“Right now,’’ said Williams, “Chris could be a head coach in this league. I’m more impressed than I was before I got to know him. He knows so much more than I did at his age. His attention to detail is amazing, and when it comes to individual defense, team defense, everyone has bought into what coach is selling.’’

Dell Demps, the General Manager who hired Williams from a list of candidates, says, “whenever Monty’s involved, it’s a soft sell. Monty has a special calmness about him. He doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. But, inside, you’ll find a competitive fire and a smart man.’’

There was the Hornets coach Wednesday, preparing to bury the Boston Celtics 97-78, preparing for the first home game in an abbreviated season of 66 games, wondering how long it would take him to assess what he had. .

Only four games into his rookie season, Williams figured it was going to take at least 25 games of an 82-game season to find out “how good, how bad, we were.’’

All he knew then was he had the best point guard, the best pick-and-roll player, in the game, and he had to do his best to keep Chris Paul as fresh as possible.

Now he’s dealing with virtually a new roster, still getting acquainted with one another, in some cases still getting acquainted with the English language.

In a way, Williams has been dealing with nothing but change from Day One on the job.

“It continues to be a learning process for most of us,’’ he said, ‘’and that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s not an excuse.’’

Williams had no excuses last season when his 12-3 Hornets lost their first home game to the San Antonio Spurs, in the hands of Gregg Popovich, the man who helped shape Williams’ coaching career.

“I was outcoached by a lot,’’ said Monty who watched a 17-point halftime turn into a 14-point loss. After shooting 62 percent in the first half, the Hornets went 5-for-15 in the third quarter and turned the ball over five times to bring the Spurs back in the game.

“Coach Pop made move after move after move, and I had no answer,’’ said Williams.

The way he handled that defeat told me the Hornets had someone who could rock with the punches that would come and never look back.

On Thursday, you had Williams’ ball club, with a roster of nine new faces, without his top scorer, Eric Gordon, the hero of an opening game victory, send a serious message as to what you can accomplish with a take-it-to-you defense for a full 48 minutes.

Quite simply, the Hornets held a team known for its aggressive defense with one that not only limited the men in green to 78 points, but also limited them to 37 percent shooting, by forcing nine turnovers, by forcing seven steals, by blocking a dozen shots.

Meanwhile, Williams watched five of his players hit in double figures, led by Jarrett Jack’s 21 and Carl Landry’s 20.

He also watched 7-footer Chris Kaman come off the bench and contribute 27 minutes that included 12 points, some from the outside, nine rebounds and three blocks.

All things considered, two games into a new start, there’s more sunshine than clouds.

Welcome home, Monty Williams.

After an eight-month wait, New Orleans Hornets guard Marco Belinelli heard cheers again Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena. And it appeared to inspire him and his teammates, as the Hornets dominated the Boston Celtics from start to finish in taking a 97-78 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 17,802.

Because of the 149-day lockout, it was the first significant game played by the Hornets at the arena since they lost Game 6 to the Lakers in the playoffs last April.

With former Hornets All-Stars Chris Paul and David West now playing elsewhere, the new-look Hornets (2-0) are proving they can win without them, relying on their team-first concept that centers around defense.

“It was about our defensive play,’’ Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “We demand defense, but you have to have guys that understand our defensive plan. Sometimes players are the best coaches.’’

The Hornets stayed in front of the Celtics’ shooters for the entire game, never giving them a chance to get into an offensive rhythm.

The Hornets’ frontcourt of Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman challenged nearly shot taken by Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal in the post. The Hornets had 12 blocks against the Celtics, who are 0-3 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

New Orleans led by 21 points in the second half as the Celtics, who were without injured All-Star forward Paul Pierce, shot 37.2 percent.

The Hornets got their second consecutive victory without having Monday night’s hero, Eric Gordon, who missed the game after suffering a bruised left knee.

Gordon suffered the injury Monday night against the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter when he bumped knees with Grant Hill. He made the winning shot with 4.2 seconds remaining and finished with a team-high 20 points in the Hornets’ 85-84 victory.

New Orleans didn’t need any last-second heroics against the Celtics. The Hornets had things under control, leading by 16 in the first half before taking a 48-39 halftime lead.

The Hornets pounded the aging Celtics inside with Kaman, Landry and Okafor.

“I think we have a number of guys that can play in a pinch,’’ Williams said. “To me, it’s the only kind of depth you can have over the long haul. We just have guys who can play different spots.’’

Landry finished with 20 points. Okafor had 13 and Kaman had 12.

For long stretches, Williams had Okafor and Kaman paired together on the floor. With near flawless execution, the Hornets outscored the Celtics 46-24 in the lane.

“I think this team (New Orleans) is going to play with a chip on their shoulder the entire year,’’ Boston Coach Doc Rivers said. “If I was a player and all I heard that if you lose Chris Paul, it’s the demise of the franchise, it make you try to prove a lot of people wrong.’’

On the perimeter, the Hornets were just as effective. Boston couldn’t slow down guard Jarrett Jack or Belinelli.

Jack returned to the lineup after missing Monday’s game after serving a one-game suspension by the league for a DUI arrest near Atlanta last season. Jack kept the Hornets on attack mode, sending passes inside and to open shooters on the wing. When he wasn’t creating, Jack made eight of 17 shots for a team-high 21 points. The Hornets’ backcourt duo of Jack and Belinelli scored 34 points, with Belinelli finishing with 13.

Belinelli, who started in place of Gordon after playing point guard Monday night, made three of four 3-point attempts.

After making two of 16 3-point attempts against the Suns, the Hornets made four of 12 Wednesday night.

“It is good for us to have Marco in a position where he can play some point guard and can play the two (shooting) guard,’’ Williams said.

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

Posted: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 10:12 PM

In season-debut, Jack wanted to contribute any way he could.

NEW ORLEANS – Jarrett Jack’s first regular-season start since the Chris Paul trade was more than good enough for the New Orleans Hornets.

Jack had 21 points and nine assists in his season debut, and New Orleans dominated in its home opener, beating the winless Boston Celtics 97-78 on Wednesday night.

The Celtics are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07, the season before they traded to bring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in to help star Paul Pierce. Pierce has yet to play this season because of a bruised right heel.

The Hornets, meanwhile, were without Eric Gordon, who bruised his right knee in a season-opening win at Phoenix in which he scored a team-high 20 points.

Jack did not play in the win over the Suns on Monday night because of a one-game suspension stemming from a drunken driving arrest last season. His return helped a Hornets squad looking for a boost in Gordon’s absence, and power forward Carl Landry pitched in with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Allen led Boston with 15 points.

Jack inherited the Hornets’ starting point guard job in the preseason after Paul, a four-time All-Star, was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Gordon, Chris Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Kaman, who had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench in his Hornets debut Monday, came back with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots against Boston.

Kaman backed up Emeka Okafor, who had 13 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Marco Belinelli, who started for Gordon at shooting guard, was 3 of 4 from 3-point range and also finished with 13 points. Five of Landry’s rebounds came on the offensive end, helping the Hornets outscore the Celtics 21-11 in second-chance points.

Rajon Rondo scored 13 for Boston, while Louisiana native and former LSU star Brandon Bass added 11 points and Keyon Dooling 10.

Kevin Garnett had a difficult night in what was Boston’s third road game in four nights to open this lockout-compressed season. He finished with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting.

The Celtics shot like a team with tired legs, hitting only 37 percent from the field (29 of 78). New Orleans, by contrast, appeared energized by a sellout crowd, shooting 45.6 percent and outrebounding Boston 48-37. The Hornets also had a whopping 46-24 advantage in points in the paint.

New Orleans took the lead for good late in the first quarter and Belinelli’s 3 ignited a 13-4 run to open the fourth. Landry’s jumper capped the spurt, giving New Orleans an 85-67 lead with 6:25 to go.

Boston’s largest lead was 9-2 before the Hornets stiffened defensively and raced into the lead with an 8-0 run ignited by Belinelli’s 3 and capped by Jack’s steal and fast-break layup. Belinelli later added a three-point play on a tough fade as he was fouled and fell to the court, helping the Hornets build a 24-18 lead by the end of the opening period.

The Hornets led by as many as 16 points in the first half after Okafor and Landry scored four points each during an 8-0 run that made it 46-30.

Boston, which fell behind in large part because of 33 percent shooting (15 of 45) in the opening two periods, cut its deficit to single digits with a 9-2 run capped by Rondo’s end-to-end layup in the final seconds of the half, making it 48-39.

NOTES: Attendance for the home opener was announced as an overflow 17,802. … Celtics rookie Greg Stiemsma blocked six shots. … Boston also was without F-C Chris Wilcox, who has a bruised right shoulder. … The Celtics return to Boston for their home opener on Friday against Detroit. … The Hornets remain at home for their next contest on Friday against Phoenix.