Hornets back on the road and a big test awaiting them in Cleveland tonight, their first meeting of the season with the Cavaliers. Game tips at 6 Central.
The Cavs have the best record in the League at 43-14 and are a formidable 24-4 at home. They do come into tonight’s game with a season-high three-game losing streak (Den, @Cha, @Orl) but that’s probably more bad news than good for the Hornets.
Cleveland made a splash at last week’s trade deadline by bringing in Antawn Jamison, and he played much better in Orlando on Sunday (19 points, 9-14 FGs, 8 boards) after going 0-for-12 from the field in his Cavs debut against the Bobcats on Friday. Jamison is expected to make his first start for Cleveland tonight, pushing J.J. Hickson to the bench. (There’s also a chance Hickson may not play at all due to illness.)
Oh, and that LeBron James kid has been playing some good basketball: averages of 33.4 points, 10.6 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals this month.
Numbers:
Pace: Cavaliers 93.2 (25th), Hornets 94.8 (17th)
Offensive Efficiency: Cavaliers 108.6 (4th), Hornets 104.5 (13th)
Defensive Efficiency: Cavaliers 101.2 (7th), Hornets 105.1 (18th)
Linkage:
- Journals: The Passing Game – Paul vs. Collison
- Lagniappe: Chris Paul’s blogging, an interview with Marcus Thornton, and a Hornets Hype classic
- Rival bloggers: And One | Cavs: The Blog (THN) | Fear The Sword | WaitingForNextYear
(Many thanks to Dariusz for today’s banner featuring James Posey. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz’s designs in our Wallpapers vault.)