The New Orleans Hornets have won their last two games in very contrasting ways, first engineering a 23-point comeback and then cruising to a 29-point victory two days later.

Despite winning in different fashions, Marcus Thornton's performances looked awfully similar.

The previously seldom-used reserve has scored 19 points in back-to-back games, a spark the Hornets would love to see once again Sunday as they visit the Detroit Pistons.

New Orleans (16-10) found itself down by 23 points with eight minutes left in the third quarter Wednesday against visiting Sacramento, but that's when Thornton started to heat up. The second-year guard scored 17 of his 19 points the rest of the way, including the jumper that put the Hornets ahead for good with three minutes left in a 94-91 win.

Thornton kept scoring Friday against Utah, though this time every point wasn't nearly as critical. He had seven of his 19 in the second quarter to help New Orleans open up a 17-point halftime lead en route to a 100-71 blowout.

The league's seventh-highest scorer off the bench as a rookie last season, Thornton wasn't playing much earlier in the season largely because coach Monty Williams wasn't pleased with his defense.

He's now trying to change that perception in a hurry.

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