NEW ORLEANS (AP) Baron Davis sat hunched over in front of his locker, his glazed eyes, strained face and agitated tone revealing frustration pent up during months of playing in pain.

As his season ended last May, he couldn't help but wonder whether his fitness was a factor in the New Orleans Hornets' first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia.

``During that Philadelphia series, when I was hurt, I thought, 'I've got to get my game up right now,''' Davis said. ``You just get tired of losing.''

He's doing all he can so far this season to make sure he doesn't have to endure that disappointment again.

Through the Hornets' first 12 games, during which they went 9-3 without injured All-Star Jamal Mashburn, Davis was at or near the top of the league in several key statistical categories. He was third in scoring (24.6) and assists (8.2), first in 3-pointers made (43) and first in steals (39).

And he has routinely delivered in spectacular fashion, such as when he sneaked in from the perimeter and soared high above the rim to follow a missed teammate's shot with a two-handed dunk. It was not a typical play for a 6-foot-3 point guard, and it was part of 25-point, 12-assist and nine-rebound effort that led the Hornets to an 88-85 victory at New Jersey last Tuesday night.

``Baron's been on fire since preseason,'' Hornets forward P.J. Brown says. ``He's just doing it in all phases of the game. It looks like he put in a lot of extra time in the offseason on his body, on his game and it's showing. He's just giving it all and he's pushing everybody else.''

Davis missed 32 games last season because of a nagging back injury and a knee injury that required minor surgery. He spent most of the offseason in Las Vegas and his native Los Angeles, running on the beach and working with his full-time personal trainer, Dartgnan Stamps, for up to six hours a day, five or six days a week.

``He matured a lot,'' said Stamps, who has known Davis for years and coached his AAU club team when Davis was in high school. ``He sacrificed hanging out a lot and doing other things he has done in the past to work out.''

Davis' regimen was a combination of running, weights, stretching and drills on the court, including 500 to 600 shots a day, Stamps said.

Davis also hired a personal chef; he's eating mostly vegetables and less meat. He is only about 10 pounds lighter but much leaner _ the opposite of what happens to many who move to a celebrated restaurant and party town like New Orleans.

``I had to get all smaller pants, my shirts were too big and I had to get refitted for suits,'' Davis said.

Davis says he is as healthy and playing as well as he ever has, and said he has tried to be more of a leader on a team featuring all five starters on the All-Star ballot.

``I like the way my teammates listen to me this year and they respect me as a leader because I come in here and work every day. I don't take any days off,'' Davis said. ``I practice hard and I play hard and my production is showing. I can keep leading and they can keep relying on me.''

With Mashburn out with a knee injury, the Hornets are winning under new coach Tim Floyd with a style that emphasizes defense and scoring in transition. There's been talk that the Hornets are now ``Baron's team.''

Mashburn led the Hornets in scoring last season in a half-court, post-up offense that revolved around him, and the team has yet to see how Mashburn will fit in to the new system when he comes back, likely around Jan. 1.

Davis says he looks forward to Mashburn's return.

``Mash is going to come in and he's going to be our scorer. We're going to look to him to do what he does best,'' Davis says. ``I'm still going to do my part and lead this team, but it's not about the numbers, it's about the victories. That's all I care about.''

Davis hardly ever looks frustrated now, smiling often on and off the court as he plays through the first season of a six-year, $84 million contract.

He likes his team and he likes New Orleans, a town he was unsure about when the team first announced plans to move here.

Now he's immersed in the local culture. While most professional athletes here live in exclusive golf-course neighborhoods, Davis moved into an elegant 150-year old home in the city's densely populated uptown district.

On days off, he walks his two English bulldogs past the school that was attended by Payton and Eli Manning. He stops to talk to the kids outside for recess and they lavish both him and the dogs with attention.

``The house I bought here _ I'll never sell it,'' Davis said.

And the way he's playing, New Orleans might never let him leave.