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Written by Ken Trahan, President--NewOrleans.Com/Sports | Thursday, 19 November 2009 17:12 | Hornets News
The New Orleans Hornets seek a second straight win tonight as they host the Phoenix Suns:
9:49 p.m.
Heck of a win for the Hornets--they best Phoenix 110-103. This was an inspired effort by New Orleans. Down the stretch, they made 6 straight free throws to put it away. James Posey played like a veteran, hitting 4 straight. Darren Collison hit the other 2. Peja Stojakovic came up huge, scoring 25 points and pulling down a season-high 13 rebounds. Devin Brown had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Marcus Thornton had 19 points and 4 rebounds before tweaking an ankle. Collison finished with 15 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Hornets won despite getting just 6 points from David West on 2 for 11 shooting. It's a 2-game win streak for a team that reversed an embarrassing 20-point loss at Phoenix on November 11 that got Byron Scott fired. That was with Chris Paul. Not known for their rebounding, the Hornets crushed Phoenix on the glasss 56-38. New Orleans shot 52% from 3-point range. Phoenix placed 7 players in double figures, led by Amar'e Stoudemire with 23 points. Jared Dudley had 17 points. Steve Nash had 13 points and 10 assists. Nice job by the Hornets, who are now 5-8 with the win. Phoenix dropped to 10-3 with the defeat. The Hornets will host Atlanta Saturday night here at the hive. The Hawks hammered New Orleans 121-98 in Atlanta on November 14.
9:33 p.m.
Huge pair of triples by the Hornets--Peja drives one home from 25 feet, straight-away to make it 99-96, breaking a tie. Next possession--Darren Collison connects on a three-ball. 102-96 with 2:11 left.
9:15 p.m.
Leandro Barbosa drills a three-ball to give the Suns the lead 84-83 with 8:57 to play. Marcus Thornton has left the game with an ankle problem. David West has not returned yet. They need him back on the floor soon. Bobby Brown is 0-4 from the field. How long before you come back with Peja? He and West must produce down the stretch to give the Hornets a shot to win this one, a game in which they have played very hard. Each team has now made ten 3-pointers.
9:06 p.m.
Good game here. End of the 3rd quarter and the Hornets hold a 78-76 lead over Phoenix. Devin Brown has played outstanding basketball, scoring 17 points, pulling down 5 rebounds and handing out 4 assists. Marcus Thornton has 17 points and 4 rebounds. Emeka Okafor has 13 points and 11 rebounds. Peja Stojakovic is having perhaps his best all-around game of the year. He has 19 points and 12 rebounds in a solid effort. New Orleans is killing Phoenix on the boards, 49-30. The Hornets need David West to contribute. He has just 2 points and spent nearly the entire 3rd quarter on the bench with four fouls, picking up his 4th with 10:55 to play in the quarter. Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash each have 13 points to lead Phoenix.
8:59 p.m.
And the Hornets come fighting back. After trailing by 8, the Bees have rallied to tie it 71-71. Devin Brown and Marcus Thornton are playing the guard spots together and have played very well together. Thornton now has 17 while Brown has 13 points. Peja just hit a big 3 to tie it. Okafor has 13 points and 11 rebounds. Channing Frye has 11 points and 10 rebounds while Steve Nash has 13 points and 7 assists for the Suns. Good substitution by Jeff Bower to play with Brown and Thornton together.
8:47 p.m.
The Suns are dominating the third quarter and lead New Orleans 61-55 with 8:02 to play in the period. Steve Nash has knocked down three shots and has 13 points. The Hornets have done nothing offensively, scoring just 3 pionts in 3:58 and picking up 5 team fouls already. David West is missing in action. He picked up 2 quick fouls and now has 4. He is on the bench with just 2 points. The Hornets cannot win without something solid from West. They simply have no low post game without him.
8:30 p.m.
New Orleans has the lead despite shooting just 39 percent from the field. The difference is a 34-21 bulge on the boards, an unusual edge for a smallish Hornets team. The Hornets lead despite just 2 points on 1 of 9 shooting by its best scorer, David West. The only other negative is 10 turnovers for the Hornets. Steve Nash has a modest 6 points and 4 assists. The Hornets have 20 points from their shooting guard spot, 13 by Thornton and 7 by Brown.
8:18 p.m.
Halftime and the Hornets have a 52-49 lead. Peja Stojakovic played simply outstanding. He has 13 points and 7 rebounds. Emeka Okafor has 11 points and 8 rebounds. Marcus Thornton came off the bench to lead the Hornets with 13 points in just under 12 minutes. Devin Brown was solid with 7 points. The Hornets are defending much better than in their blowout loss at Phoenix, the game that got Byron Scott fired. They have held the Suns to just 40% shooting from the field. Nice half. Nice effort. Good to watch.
8:08 p.m.
With 2:44 to play in the first half, the Hornets trail the Suns 43-42. Jared Dudley has 9 points to lead the Suns while Amar'e Stoudemire has 7. The Hornets lost the lead by going ice cold from the field. They are shooting 36% for the game, including 1 of 9 for David West. Emeka Okafor will be at the free throw line as play resumes to shoot 2. He has 10 points and 8 rebounds.
7:53 p.m.
Marcus Thornton has come off the bench smoking. The LSU rookie has 11 points, including a pair of triples, and the Hornets are back out to a 9-point lead at 37-28 with 8:18 to play in the second quarter. Byron Scott said the kid wasn't ready to play. Guess the current staff has a different opinion. David West finally gets his first 2 points.
7:59 p.m.
The swiss cheese defense of the Hornets has re-emerged in the second quarter. The Suns making 3's and shooting layups and the New Orleans lead is down to one, 39-38 with 5:40 to play in the first half. David West is struggling mightily, shooting a miserable 1 for 9 from the field for 2 points. Marcus Thornton has 13 off the bench. Collison and Okafor are back on the floor.
7:42 p.m.
And the lead disintegrates to just 4 points at the end of the first quarter. Hornets lead the Suns 26-22 at the end of the first period. When the Hornets went to the bench, they came up empty. Bobby Brown, Marcus Thornton, Darius Songaila and James Posey each committed a turnover. Thornton did score 4 points but Steve Nash, after a slow start, had his way with Bobby Brown when he replaced Darren Collison. Okafor with a huge quarter, with 10 points, 7 rebounds and a block. 20-11 bulge on the boards for the Hornets. Nash has 6 points and 2 assists for the Suns.
7:36 p.m.
2:32 to play in the first quarter and New Orleans leads Phoenix 20-13. Amar'e Stoudemire picks up a flagrant one on Marcus Thornton on a cheap shot. Peja Stojakovic is playing like a man, with 8 points and 6 boards. Ditto for Emeka Okafor, who has 8 points and 7 rebounds. Darren Collison has 3 assists. Very good effort, to this point.
7:33 p.m.
The Hornets are off to a great start against the Suns, playing hard, inspired basketball, making shots and defending very well. 17-5 New Orleans with 5:35 to play in the first quarter.
5:13 p.m. - Head coach Jeff Bower looks for his second straight win against a team that blew out the Hornets last week in Phoenix. The 124-104 loss to the Suns was Byron Scott's final game as head coach in New Orleans.
In this matchup, the Suns have won 2 straight over the Hornets after losing the previous 6 meetings in the series.
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