Game on: Mavs @ Hornets

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Published: November 17, 2010

After their first loss of the season, the Hornets will try and get redemption against the now despised Dallas Mavericks. This game will be telling of how the Hornets will handle adversity down the road. They were bound to lose a game or two sooner or later, but what we don’t know his how they will respond.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see a blowout. The fans in Dallas had tons of energy, and there was a clear target on the Hornets back. Now that the team has lost a game and is back in New Orleans, I just don’t see Dallas coming out with the same fire that they had last game. I also don’t see Chris Paul and David West allowing themselves to have such dismal second half performances again.

The crowd should be loud and the building should be rocking, so expect the best and if the worst happens, well, you know what to do afterward.

Hornets are five point favorites, and the over/under is set at 191. 65% of people are taking Dallas with points, and 95% of people are taking the over, surprisingly enough.

I (Joe) will be on the Daily Dime Chat throughout the game, so stop by if you have a minute and represent Hornets Nation.

Match-ups (stolen from Ryan’s last Game on since the teams are the same)

PG: Chris Paul v Jason Kidd
Advantage: Hornets
Kidd has been having a bit of an off year.  Over the past couple seasons, he had developed a deadly three-point shot and continued to rebound the ball like few point guards can.  This year, his rebounding numbers are way down, and his three point shot is falling at an average rate.  Yes, he can still generate easy shots in the open floor, but other than as a spot up shooter, he’s pretty ordinary now.  Chris Paul isn’t ordinary.

SG: Marco Belinelli v DeShawn Stevenson
Advantage: Hornets
Stevenson has been playing very well for the Mavericks, knocking down his open shots, and playing an important role as a tough wing defender for 20 minutes a game.  Here’s the rub, however, he’s been a terrible shooter for three straight seasons prior to this one.  Somehow, I don’t think his shooting efficiency(he’s the second most efficiency scorer on the Mavs) will continue.  Marco’s efficiency should continue.

SF: Trevor Ariza v Shawn Marion
Advantage: Even
Marion rebounds well, runs the floor well, and defends adequately.  His three point shot has deserted him, but he can still finish inside after cutting and receiving bounce passes from Kidd.  Ariza’s defense is superior, and don’t look at his shooting percentages and dismiss him.  He draws a reasonable number of free throws, and the number of threes he does manage to hit keeps his points per shot at least respectable.

PF: David West v Dirk Nowitzki
Advantage: Mavericks
West plays Nowitzki very well, since Nowitzki’s only advantage on him is his height, but Nowitzki does typically out play him by a few points and rebounds every game.   Both are proving to be very efficient this season.  It should be a good battle.

C: Emeka Okafor v Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Even
Okafor has been playing very, very well, but Chandler is also having a tremendous impact on the Mavs.  As always, he takes few shots, but he always generates a ton of points from them because they are dunks.  He rebounds very well, defends the paint better than most centers in the league, and because the Mavs are somewhat deep, doesn’t have to play long minutes.  These two guys will battle hard tonight.  (On a side note, I’m glad to see Chandler healthy again.  I just wish he was healthy somewhere other than in Dallas)

Bench
Mavericks: Jason Terry, Jose Juan Barea, Brendan Hayward, Brian Cardinal
Hornets: Willie Green, Jerryd Bayless, Jason Smith, Stojakovic, Pondexter, Pops, Mbenga
Advantage: Mavericks
Jason Terry is a phenomenal scorer, and Jose Juan Barea plays very well for all his physical limitations.  I almost made this even, because Brendan Hayward has been awful this year and Jason Smith hasn’t, but I do think Terry more than counters that deficiency.

Michael Macnamara will be joining me for his first Hornets game as a member of Hornets247 (possibly ever, I haven’t asked) and I’ll be bringing my video camera, so who knows what might happen.

Also, I’ll try to clarify exactly how much of a meniscus Paul has left is his knee. The more you know…

Updates from the Arena

  • Peja’s 17 point game on Monday was his first since 3/3/10.
  • It was the first time he had hit four 3-pointers since 2/17/10
  • Monty said they settled for too many three point attempts against the Mavs zone
  • He also talked about how the Mavs were just more physical, citing when Bayless drove into the lane and got clobbered, but when Barea did it we barely touched him. “That can’t happen”.

Check out our TrueHoop friends/enemies- The Two Man Game

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