NEW ORLEANS — Chris Paul had 23 points and 18 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets tied a franchise record with 15 3-pointers in a 116-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Peja Stojakovic made six 3-pointers and led all scorers with 29 points to help the Hornets to their second straight victory and fourth in five games.

Joe Johnson scored 24 points and Mike Bibby 21 for Atlanta, which got as close as 62-59 in the third quarter but couldn’t keep pace with a New Orleans squad that kept hitting from long range.

Paul and reserve guard Jannero Pargo each made three 3-pointers, and Morris Peterson and rookie Julian Wright each made one.

Wright scored a career-high 13 points, delighting the crowd with his above-the rim play, particularly when he soared in for one-handed rebound of Pargo’s miss and in one motion threw down a roundhouse jam.

Tyson Chandler threw down several alley-oop lobs from Paul and finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Pargo had 22 points.

New Orleans built a 17-point lead late in the third quarter when Stojakovic hit a mid-range jumper and a 3 on back-to-back possessions. The Hornets maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Josh Smith and Josh Childress each had 12 points for the Hawks. Marvin Williams scored 11 and Al Horford grabbed 11 rebounds.

New Orleans took the lead for good in the first quarter.

Stojakovic’s short baseline jumper ignited a 13-2 run that included Ryan Bowen’s fast-break dunk and Wright’s fast-break layup, both resulting from Hawks turnovers. Pargo capped it with a 3 as the shot clock was about to expire, giving New Orleans a 37-22 lead early in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Paul added his third 3-pointer of the game and Stojakovic hit his second. Stojakovic also converted a reverse layup while being fouled, then hit another 3, and New Orleans led 58-49 at halftime.