The start of a tough stretch for the Hornets today, as they host the Rockets in Oklahoma City. After that they get to play Dallas and San Antonio. Yikes.

Let's try something new here. I'm gonna throw out some random notes and stuff in bullet-point fashion. Sounds crazy, I know, but stick with it…

• First and foremost: According to reports from the Times-Picayune and the Oklahoman, Peja Stojakovic will NOT make his return in this one. Peja went through his fourth practice yesterday, but told reporters he was "really sore" afterwards.
• The Rockets are pretty hot right now, having won five straight and eight of their last nine. They're 44-25 on the season, and have crept to within a game of the fourth-place Jazz in the standings.
• Yao Ming has been tearing it up for the Rocks since he returned from injury. He's averaging about 24 points and 10 boards on the current winning streak.
• Tracy McGrady has been shooting poorish lately but he's still gone for 20+ in the last five games. He was one rebound shy of a triple-dip last Tuesday against the Pacers. He sat out practice yesterday due to "congestion and nausea," but I'm thinking he'll be good to go this evening.
• The Hornets are 2-0 against Houston this season. One of those wins came back in early Novemeber when we still had delusions of grandeur. The second game went down in Houston on February 3rd. Yao Ming was out, Tracy McGrady was off his game, and the Hornets missed less shots than the Rockets to steal the 87-74 win. Refresh.
• Our old buddy Kirk Snyder is still trying to get settled in the NBA.
• Houston are coming off their win over the Pistons on Thursday. Apparently they ran up a big lead in the first three quarters, before settling for a 91-85 result. Yao led the way with 27 and 7.
• The Rockets allow only 90.9 points per game (second in the NBA), while holding their opponents to 42.6% shhoting (first in the NBA). We could sure use Peja for this one.

Yeah, that's it. Linkage below. Tip is at 7pm Central. This game was supposed to be on national TV but ABC dropped it because nobody wants to watch the Hornets suck. Leaving you with the words of Devin Brown yesterday…

"This is it right here. we're going up against the top four teams in the West. If we're in the playoffs, we will have to face them at some point, why not go at them now? We have to get after it."

Damn right, Devin. Damn right. 

• Rockets player stats
• NBA.com game preview
• Houston Chronicle
• Clutch Fans