Chris Paul ran the offense, Emeka Okafor controlled the paint – and Trevor Ariza provided the dagger.

Ariza buried a pivotal 3-pointer with 14 seconds left as the New Orleans Hornets held on for a 96-93 victory over the visiting Miami Heat in front of a raucous sellout crowd Friday night.

Paul had 19 assists and scored 13 points and Okafor had 26 points and 13 rebounds as the Hornets squandered a 13-point second-half lead before winning their fifth straight game to set a franchise record.

Paul fed Ariza for a fast-break dunk with 1:45 left in the third to provide a 72-59 lead. Miami responded by scoring the last five points of the period and New Orleans missed eight straight shots early in the fourth, allowing Miami to creep back.

Dwyane Wade hit a 3-pointer and four free throws to cut the deficit to 86-85 with 3 1/2 minutes left, and LeBron James drained four free throws after being fouled on consecutive drives to give the Heat a 90-89 lead with 59 seconds left.

Marco Belinelli drew a foul five seconds later and drained both free throws to put the Hornets back in front. Wade turned it over on a bad pass on the next possession and Ariza followed by knocking down the game-clinching 3-pointer.

Wade scored 28 points for the Heat while James, playing with a bruised right shin, had 20 points and 10 assists.

The Heat had won their previous four games by an average of 22.8 points while holding the opposition to 36.7 percent shooting. The Hornets shot 49.4 percent.