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forget the magic and go all out on the hornets.
Gameday: Spurs vs. Hornets
By Joe Alexander
The Spurs face a tough time trying to keep their season-best six-game win streak alive with a road back-to-back against two teams that have been hot lately. The Spurs take on the Hornets tonight in New Orleans and the Magic on Thursday in Orlando.
Game time note: Tonight's game tips off at 8:30 p.m. San Antonio time.
Tonight's game is the second game of a back-to-back for the Hornets. They beat the Grizzlies 91-84 in Memphis on Tuesday. The Grizzlies (9-16) actually led with less than five minutes left in the game. The Hornets (14-7) have won nine of their last 11 games.
With his first steal of the game Tuesday night, Hornets guard Chris Paul tied the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal. He matched the record of 105 by former Spur Alvin Robertson.
Tuesday's game was the second in a Hornets uniform for former Spur Antonio Daniels, who was traded to New Orleans last week. Daniels played nine minutes and had six points and two assists against the Grizzlies.
The Magic have won 10 of their last 12 games despite playing their last five games on the road.
Here's one look at what's up with the Hornets:
Robert Kleeman, Bleacher Report
As I watched the Hornets struggle in the second half Friday night against the team that eventually grabbed the 2008 le, it was difficult to ignore this thin roster's host of flaws.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/92560
forget the magic and go all out on the hornets.
I'mc heering for the Spurs
Lets Go Spurs!!
The Spurs should win this one, as a wedding gift for me. Too bad I can't cheer for them tommorow. Anyway, GO SPURS!!!!!
Looking forward to tomorrow's games as well, super double-header.
Celtics @ Hawks
Spurs @ Hornets
I'll be at Hooters with some buds to watch this one.
Go Hawks, Go Spurs!
Congrats on your wedding.
I second that.Congrats on your wedding.
This game will iether be a blowout or a really close game that will come down to the wire. Cant miss this one.
Thanks guys!
San Antonio (15-8) at New Orleans (14-7) Preview
Game info: 9:30 pm EST Wed Dec 17, 2008
TV: ESPN
By Dan Pieringer
The New Orleans Hornets had their breakthrough season cut short by the San Antonio Spurs last spring.
Though both teams could have deep playoff runs ahead of them this season, neither looked ready for that kind of success recently.
The Hornets and Spurs look to bounce back from shaky performances in wins over last-place teams as the Southwest Division rivals square off for the first time since last season’s playoffs on Wednesday night in New Orleans.
After three straight trips to the lottery, New Orleans won a franchise-record 56 games last season and got their first playoff series win since 2002 by beating Dallas in the first round.
The Hornets’ stunning success ended when they lost a seven-game series against the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals.
Both teams expect to be back in the postseason this spring, but that’ll likely take better performances than they put together in their last games.
San Antonio (15-8) nearly blew a 26-point lead in a tight 109-104 win over NBA-worst Oklahoma City on Sunday, and New Orleans (14-7) needed a late surge on Tuesday to pull out a 91-84 win over Memphis, the last-place team in the Southwest.
Spurs guard Tony Parker scored six straight points in the final minutes on Sunday to help San Antonio escape with its sixth straight win and 13th in 16 games after a 2-5 start.
“You never want to (have a big lead early in a game), because it’s always dangerous,” said Parker, who finished with 22 points and seven assists and went 9-for-18 from the field. “At the end it was kind of ugly, but we got the win and that’s the most important thing.”
That’s similar to what Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul said on Tuesday after scoring five points with three assists in the final five minutes to help New Orleans pull out its ninth win in 11 games.
The victory pulled the Hornets into a virtual tie with San Antonio and Houston atop the division.
“We feel like we’ve been through a lot of things, and we were able to pull it together in the fourth,” said Paul, who had 18 points, nine assists and five steals. Paul recorded a steal in his 105th straight contest, tying Alvin Robertson’s NBA record.
Now, Paul will try to claim sole possession of that mark against a San Antonio team he averaged 23.1 points, 10.4 assists and 2.3 steals against last season, including the playoffs. He also shot 51.5 percent from the field as New Orleans went 5-6 in those 11 overall games.
Despite Paul’s consistent success, the Spurs overcame an 0-2 deficit in the playoffs by winning four of the clubs’ last five games, including a series-clinching 91-82 road win on May 19.
San Antonio was 2-4 overall in New Orleans in 2007-08.
The Hornets are averaging 106.0 points and shooting 50.0 percent during their four-game home winning streak, during which they’ve outscored opponents by an average of 15.0 points.
The Spurs, meanwhile, have won six of seven on the road.
Notes
Spurs:
The Spurs were outscored, 60-47, in the second half on Sunday. ... G-F Michael Finley is just one game away from his 1,000th career game. ... C Fabricio Oberto, who has started 11 games this season and 64 in 2007-08, did not play. F-C Matt Bonner started in the middle for the seventh straight game and collected 17 points and eight boards. ... G Roger Mason had his biggest scoring output in nearly three weeks, finishing with 14 points and knocking down four 3-pointers.
Hornets:
C Tyson Chandler finished with seven points and six rebounds in 24:33 in his first game back after missing two with a stiff neck. ... With 18 points, F David West has reached double-digit points in 86 straight games (including the playoffs). ... Despite a clutch 3-pointer in the closing minutes, F Peja Stojakovic is struggling from the field. He's 7-of-26 with 21 combined points in his last three games after a going for 61 on 20-of-37 in the previous three. ... New Orleans has held eight of its last 11 opponents below 95 points. The Hornets are 9-2 in those games. ... Three-pointers continue to be a key stat to the Hornets' winning ways. The league's best 3-point shooting team hit 10-of-20 against
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tony Parker SA 21.3
David West NO 20.4
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.8
Tyson Chandler NO 8.0
Assists
Tony Parker SA 6.6
Chris Paul NO 12.1
Standings
Team Standings W L Pct. GB L 10 Strk
San Antonio 2nd Southwest 14 8 .636 0 8-2 Won 5
New Orleans 2nd Southwest 13 7 .650 0.5 8-2 Won 1
Injuries
San Antonio
No injuries reported.
New Orleans
No injuries reported.
Paul ties NBA consecutive game steals record
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul tied the NBA record for most consecutive games with a steal on Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Paul’s theft came after a bad pass by Grizzlies forward Darko Milicic with 3:33 left in the first quarter. That gave Paul 105 straight games with a steal, pulling him even with Alvin Robertson’s mark set between November 1985 and December 1986.
“I’m a huge history buff, especially of the NBA,” Paul said after the Hornets’ 91-84 victory. “Any time you can be mentioned in the history books of the NBA, it’s a great accomplishment.”
The stat crew initially gave the steal to David West, but reviewed the play before changing it to Paul.
Paul had five steals and leads the league with 2.8 per game. He’ll have an opportunity to break the record Wednesday night at home when New Orleans faces the San Antonio Spurs, where Robertson played when he broke the record.
“It’s very fitting,” Paul said of playing the Spurs. “The crazy thing is, this is a crazy record. It might not happen again for a long time, but I’m honored to have the opportunity to break it.”
Hmmm who will guard West? Duncan?
Bonner on West
Duncan on Chandler
I'd love to see Pop be a warrior and start Ian next to Duncan, how awesome would that be, and surprising
Bonner on West? Goodluck Bonner!
Really his ability to defend West depends on how the whistles go. West depends mostly on his mid-range jumper for points... Matt has the length to contest that. If he posts up, well, Matt's better in the block than he is out of the paint on defense, or at least he seems a bit more comfortable. He can DEFINITELY box out West, and that could be a huge help to containing the Hornets.
If the whistles are flying though... hey.... why not try Hill on West? It sounds crazy at first, but GH has the hops to get up, and if West posts, he'll have help. A 6'9 armspan could really throw a monkey wrench into the way West plays. And Hill is VERY strong for his size. Maybe a couple of trips up the court with Hill on him (and West thinking "WTF!?) in the process will be enough to trip him up and offset his rhythm.
Really, West was the only thing that kept the Hornets in the series last year. If we can slow him down, we match up very well with them. Chris Paul might be a steal-guru, but he still isn't a great defensive player. And our D is more than good enough to cut down on some of his passes in the lane.
Go Bonner! I seriously mean that good luck. Coz based on last POs, West is a nightmare to defend..
Congratulations. I hope your wedding doesn't conflict with the game; be a shame to have to keep the guests waiting..
What a great rapper and a great painter.
I'm gonna switch my dog's name from Tommy to Kobe, as he always digs his head into the bucket to enjoy the smell there.
Shaq hadn't bought any paper during the time he played in LA, b/c Kobe's tongue can do the work so Shaq didn't need to use pape cleaning his bottom.
Congrats on the wedding Yorae. Hope the celebration is everything you planned it to be and more.
Hill on West doesn't sound like a likely idea but it would be really interesting to see. Though most likely West would try to bully Hill around using his weight advantage, but I could see Hill not backing down and giving West some fits ala Dirk vs Warriors.
This is gonna be a good one, I can't wait. Hope we have enough energy for the Magic though.
For me this was the team that pissed me off the most. How we could go into NO and get whipped by double digits. Then come home and whip them by double digits made me crazy. If I remember correctly the only game that wasnt a blowout was game 7. They will be looking for payback. And Im finally happy to see us play a tough team. Kinda tired of beating sorry teams already. Its time to see what we're made of. I also believe Kurt will shine this game. These are the games Kurt has a good chance of playing solid D against Dwest. I dont see Matt doing much to guard Dwest, but that doesnt mean Matt wont get his points as well, because they will double Timmy like always. Will be nice to see Antonio Daniels take on his old friend Roger Mason.
as i recall, no one on the spurs was capable of slowing down west. he's very mobile and has a very good fade away jumper. kind of like dirk. spurs really need to find someone to slow down people like that. bowen may be able to guard dirk but west can play strong inside as well.
somebody put up the GAME THREAD already. let' get this party started!
Thanks guys, hope I can join when we play the Magic!
The Hornets haven't been playing that well. Let's go Spurs.
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