Hornets-Spurs Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080126/NO...scoreboardhome

Hornets-Spurs Preview
By MATT BECKER, STATS Writer

Just over a month ago, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs were in a familiar position - atop the Western Conference. Since then, though, the surprising New Orleans Hornets surged past them.

The Hornets look for the first eight-game road winning streak in franchise history when they visit the Spurs on Saturday night.

San Antonio (28-13) has finished first or second in its division each year since 1997-98, and had the best record in the West on Dec. 18 at 18-6. On that date, New Orleans (30-12), which has never won a division le in its 20-year history, was fifth in the West, 3 1/2 games off the pace.

The Hornets have erased that deficit by going a NBA-best 15-2 to take a 1 1/2-game lead over the third-place Spurs in the Southwest Division.

The Hornets wrapped up a five-game homestand with a 111-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, extending their season-high winning streak to seven.

New Orleans is outscoring its opponents by an average of 19.7 points during its run, winning six of those games by at least 14. The Hornets have not won eight straight in a single season since Feb. 19-March 7, 2003 - the club's first in Louisiana.

On Friday, the Hornets trailed 53-52 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter before going on 22-2 run. Peja Stojakovic drained five 3-pointers over that stretch and finished with a game-high 26 points.

"I don't know how to explain that,'' said Stojakovic, who finished 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. "You always think: 'You never know if you don't try.' You've got to let it fly. Some nights they go in, some nights not.''

This will be the Hornets' first road game since defeating Houston 87-82 on Jan. 13. That matched the franchise record for consecutive road victories at seven, set from Feb. 21-March 24, 1998, when the club was in Charlotte.

New Orleans has the West's best road record - 15-5 - and hasn't lost there since an 88-76 defeat to Portland on Dec. 17.

The Hornets, though, haven't had much success in San Antonio as they've lost six straight there since a 98-96 win on Jan. 24, 2004. The Spurs are 20-4 at home this season.

In their first meeting of the season on Nov. 9, San Antonio won at New Orleans 97-85 behind 27 points and eight assists from Tony Parker. Stojakovic, meanwhile, had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

The Spurs have won eight straight over the Hornets by an average of 18.5 points since an 89-76 defeat in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2005.

San Antonio is coming off a 90-89 win over struggling Miami on Thursday, its third straight win after losing four of six.

The Spurs needed to rally from a 10-point second-half deficit against the Heat, and Manu Ginobili's driving layup with 36.5 seconds left was the go-ahead score.

"We didn't play great,'' said Ginobili, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. "But mentally, we were there and we gave our best effort.''

Tim Duncan scored 30 on 14-of-19 shooting and added 11 rebounds. Duncan, who was selected to his 11th straight All-Star team on Thursday, had 24 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans in November.

[duncan228]

Spurs.com has the same preview as NBA.com...odd.
Here's the piece that didn't overlap.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080126.html

Spurs vs. Hornets Preview

Probable starters

T. Parker
Guard
19.6 PPG
M. Finley
Guard
10.3 PPG
B. Bowen
Forward
5.5 PPG
T. Duncan
Forward
19.4 PPG
F. Oberto
Center
4.8 PPG

Spur in the Spotlight
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans in November.

Did You Know...

Tim Duncan and Chris Paul both played their college ball at Wake Forest … Tim Duncan is one of only two players (Robert Parrish) to record two 20-20 games against the Hornets … former Spur David Robinson blocked 11 shots at Charlotte on 2/2/90, setting a record for most blocks in a game by a Hornets opponent … the Hornets won their first road game in franchise history with a 107-105 win on 11/19/88 in San Antonio.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i hope the spurs lose every game they play against NOH, so cp3 can build a case for himself mvp

so kobe or garnett doesnt get one this year

[loveforthegame]

Chandler is going to have a field day on the boards. Not to mention all the dunks over Oberto. I wonder if Elson might see some minutes tonight?

[SAGambler]

i hope the spurs lose every game they play against NOH, so cp3 can build a case for himself mvp

so kobe or garnett doesnt get one this year

I think they have already made up their minds on this years MVP and his name is Garnett.

[SAGambler]

I predict a Spurs win. Bowen and Udoka shut Peja down all night, CP goes for about 28, but Manu plays him to a draw by going off for 28 himself. Tony finds the lane once more and pours in 26, while Duncan has a field day keeping Chandler in foul trouble.

Spurs score over a hundred. NO doesn't.

[greens]

It's going to be a very tough game to play...NO is playing so good right now...Chris Paul is playing especially amazingly...

[Ghost Writer]

I think this is a huge game for both teams.

A win for the Hornets -- a team that I picked as my preseason darkhorse on the strength of their starting 5 -- and the League starts to take them seriously.

A win for the Spurs says "the champs are here."

This is a statement game in late January.

I think the prideful Spurs show the up-and-coming Hornets what time it is.


Randoms:

1. When does coach Byron Scott start getting respect (Nets, Hornets)?

2. Where did Morris Peterson's game go?

3. Let me get this straight... the Charlotte Hornets are now the New Orleans Hornets and they played in Oklahoma City last year, while now there is a Charlotte Bobcats and there used to be a New Orleans team that's now the Utah Jazz.


Phoooooo.

[Joe Schmoogins]

The outcome of this game rests largely on the play of Parker and Bowen's Defense. Parker's play has been pretty rough lately, so I'm hoping he doesn't get torched by Chris Paul due to bone spurs/sickness/whatever. The last time they played Parker was the superior point guard and Bowen absolutely destroyed Peja. Hopefully we see more of the same tonight. I expect Duncan to be the beast that he is and Manu to be a menace. That alone will be enough to keep it close or even pull out a close victory. However, if Parker and Bowen dominate, look for us to win going away.

[barbacoataco]

I've watched the Hornets play a lot this season, and while they're good I don't think they are a championship caliber team. David West scores a lot, but when he is defended well he can't get a shot off. The same for Stojakovic. Also, they don't have a deep bench, and Chandler is streaky. They might win tonight, and they will be in the playoffs, but I don't see them as a playoff threat. Then again WTF do I know.