Game On: Hornets @ Clippers


The Hornets get the Clippers again just 13 days after laying a beat down on them in New Orleans 101-82. Although the teams played only two weeks ago, they both will look a little different from the teams that took the court on that night. For the Clippers, Chris Kaman and Baron Davis will both be out due to injuries. Kaman’s injury, in fact, came in that Hornets victory and he has yet to play since. Davis, meanwhile, is out due to a knee problem (shocker!) and might miss another week. On the plus side, the Clippers will have dynamic shooting guard Eric Gordon and will be able to get super rookie Blake Griffin more touches.

Meanwhile the Hornets will welcome Jarrett Jack, David Anderson, and Marcus Banks to the team. Banks will likely be inactive and Anderson might not see any action, but Jarrett Jack will be welcomed with open arms, especially after the horrible play of Willie Green at the point last night. Now Green will be able to slide back over to his natural two guard position, and even play a little SF when both teams go small.

What the Hornets Have to do on Offense:

The Hornets backcourt ate the Clippers alive last time, going off for 58 points and 18 assists. CP3 controlled the pace of the game early and ran circles around rookie Eric Bledsoe before handing the game off to Jerryd Bayless and Willie Green in the 4th quarter. CP3 played a season low 29 minutes on that night and Bayless had what will go down as his best game as a New Orleans Hornet with 15 points and 9 assists. Since Jack is a better player and Eric Gordon and Bledsoe simply do not have the defensive IQ to play with the Hornets savvy veterans, expect another game where the Hornets have a major advantage in the backcourt.

Up front the Hornets should have quite an advantage as well. Since Kaman’s injury, DeAndre Jordan has been getting the start at center and well traveled veteran Brian Cook has been getting the majority of the back-up minutes. When Jordan is in the game, look for Okafor to try to get him in foul trouble and when Cook is in, I expect them to pound the rock inside. David West was 3-11 in the last game, and Griffin’s energy and athleticism can give him problems. I expect Monty to get the ball to West early, however, to try to get the rook in foul trouble, as he does tend to go for a lot of pump fakes and pick up dumb fouls, which young guys are prone to do.

What the Hornets have to do on Defense:

44 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and some of the most disgusting dunks you will ever see- that’s what Blake Griffin did his last time out on the court. Granted, it was against the Knicks but it was impressive nonetheless. The Hornets strategy against Griffin will be twofold: trap him the second he puts the ball on the floor (as opposed to immediately because it is harder to adjust to for young guys) and try to get him into foul trouble on the other end so they don’t have to deal with him all night. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Okafor on him for a chunk of the game, especially when Cook is on the floor, but West is probably the better matchup because it allows Okafor to stay at the rim and neutralize Jordan’s one offensive strength.

Jack comes in at a perfect time, as Eric Gordon is the exact kind of player he was brought in to shutdown. While Belinelli will start off the game on him, I expect Jack to get him in spurts. Gordon is more athletic than he looks and can simply knock down shots if you leave him open. The Hornets left ‘Sual open a lot in the last game and he bricked a lot of wide open shots before getting hot for a few minutes in the third. The Hornets simply can not give Gordon the same shots they gave Butler two weeks ago.

Al- Farouq Aminu also gave New Orleans some problems that night, scoring a game high 20 points in the loss. Most of his buckets came in transition, although he did show some decent moves in the half court and a quality stroke from three. Ariza should take him more seriously this game and I expect Pondexter to go after him as well.

With all that being said, the key for the Hornets on defense tonight will be controlling the glass. Griffin, Jordan, and Craig Smith are all terrific offensive rebounders and the only way the Clippers can stay in this game is if they create extra possessions for themselves.. They shoot 44% on the year and only 31% from deep, so if the Hornets can hold them to one shot, they should win the game comfortably unless the Clips just have one of those miracle games or the Hornets can’t find the basket for the second night in a row.

Vegas Zone

Surprisingly the Hornets are only 5.5 point favorites tonight despite the game being a matchup of the best record in the league vs. the worst record in the league. Several factors have to go into this, including: Hornets being on a back-to-back, the Hornets awful play last night, and Griffin’s breakout game Saturday night.

Over/under is 195.5, which might seem a little high until you take into consideration that before last night the Hornets defense has looked a little suspect against Cleveland and Dallas. 99% of people betting the game straight up are taking the Hornets, while 84% of people betting with the spread as a factor are taking the Hornets and giving 5.5 points. 68% are taking the under. Meaning, that Vegas stands to make a lot of money if the Clippers win this game in a shoot out.

Not likely, though. I will take the under and the Hornets giving up 5.5 points. Final score: Hornets 96 Clippers 83.

NBA 2K11 Sim

I did not record or post the results of the simulation out of protest for the absurd result. That game still does not give proper respect to this team and until they meet my demands, they will not get free promotion on this site.

You have 2 days until our next game 2K Sports. 2 DAYS!!

Chat it up right here during the game and get your prediction for the week in on our forum:

http://www.hornets247.com/forum/new-orleans-hornets/predictions-for-this-week-nov-22-29/#p558


204 responses to “Game On: Hornets @ Clippers”

  1. How are you doing the sims? Simming an Association game or having the CPU face the CPU in a normal game and let the game play from there? I find the more realistic results come from just doing an Association and simulating with HoopsCast or w/e they call it.

    West should definitely attack Griffin early. Griffin gave up 39 points to Amar’e in that same game he scored 44 in. Opposing PF’s are averaging a 19.7 PER when faced against Griffin. I’m expecting at least 20 points from West tonight (unless he plays under 30 mins)

  2. I am very curious to know what those 2k results were….anyway we should win this one no doubt…but i dont think itll be a blowout. we arent built for handing out blowouts just yet… a win would be sufficient enough.

  3. For all my fellow hornets fans! go to firstrow.net if you cant watch the game on tv tonight. 12-1! Lets GO!!!!!!!!!!!

    • I didn’t mean it as they were bad they are actually some of the most level announcing teams around the league. I just enjoy Bob and Gil and it seems the last 5 games or so I always get the opposite teams announcers.

  4. Clippers announcers are actually not bad. Way better than some other ones I’ve seen.

    Offense is doing great. Defense we’re playing slow and giving them solid looks off screens or good drives. Also amount of tipped balls they get isn’t a good sign. Box out hard guys.

  5. i love the fact that cp3 doesnt have to hog the ball and let the shotclock wind down. lots of a movement and passing.

  6. Pops with the 3 fouls in 30 seconds, that is his game over and another strike against him. Sad too, he is just playing dumb of late and wasting all the progress and promise he showed in the pre-season and early games

  7. Pops has a 3-sec violation and 2 fouls in like 5 seconds. Dude. At least he’s better than Alexander.

    3 fouls. In what, a minute? It’s mouth-breathing wonder he’s guarding and all, but Jesus. I’m pretty sure he’s at fault for us losing half the lead.

    C’mon, dude, you need to watch more to just let the guy walk by? I can do that. I do it all ****ing day.

    Mind the gap, Pops.

    OK, I’m done.

  8. Not that I’m a huge Pops fan like some of you, but he got shafted for all 3 of those calls and the 3 second. Nice to see the refs giving Blake prefferential treatment after one huge game.

  9. Radio here. I’ll trust you.

    Anyone know the deal with the cut on ‘Sual’s hand?

    Jack seems to be fitting in. Can those who can see comment?

    • Last game against the Knicks, DeAndre Jordan scratched him in between the index finger and middle finger and cut him in a kinda freak accident. He had 5 stitches.

    • Clips announcers just said he got sliced in between his index and middle finger by someones fingernail in the knicks game had to get 4 or so stiches

  10. Ha. Ref finally called a foul on CP for cutting in front of someone as he brings the ball up court. They’re onto that, I guess.

    • That time he wasn’t as subtle with it as he usually is. LOL. He basically barrelled into the other player while he was coming up.

  11. wow….that was poor the way we let them get back into the game so easily like that… and RM whats up with your guy Pops???? that was sad..i mean i actually felt sad for the guy because i doubt he’ll ever get another chance after that…man we have to play better next half. this is a trap game!

  12. anyone else notice that the heat lost to the pacers. suddenly the hornets beating them isn’t so impressive. i think pat riley should trade bosh and lebron for as many assets and good players as possible.

    • lol…haha dwade, looks like he recruited the “king” to miami so he could be his “queen” then he went and got himself a “court jester” in bosh

    • It should be but you gotta give credit to the clips playing at a tempo thats keeping the hornets on their heels and getting them easy buckets.

    • The last one against them was but they seem a bit more prepared for the Hornets than the Hornets are for them tonight.

  13. The way the Clips have been getting to the line it’s a good thing they’re leaving a lot of points there otherwise it would look uglier than it is.

    • Trevor got clobbered on that play and no call…. Everytime Blake is touched it’s a foul.. Please somebody take a charge, he’s out of control every single play

      • Knowing them they’ll probably call a blocking foul on the Hornets instead of the correct offensive foul call on the Clips. Uggh!

  14. seems like the hornets haven’t gotten any FT attempts when they’ve taken the ball to the rack, but the clippers have gotten quite a few. In fact so far this season seems like the hornets have never gotten the benefit from the refs, regardless if they lose tonight their is no excuse whatsoever.

  15. CP is rested, let’s see if the Hornets can step up the defense for the first time tonight. They’ve been horrible on that end.

  16. CP is being so passive right now.. Also West needs to learn to kick the ball to cookies once in awhile, like when he’s standing wide open on the 3 point line cause his guy went to double West from just one pass away.

  17. wtf!!! this is worse than the performance against the kings yesterday. the hornets are going to get stomped by the jazz on wednesday if they bring this type of energy.

  18. i’m soooo upset right now, first off cp on the shot clock violation possession a while back then ariza not blocking out or making his FTs. f’ing worthless.

  19. F chris paul for stupid passes, dwest for missed FTs and trevor for just being f’ing awful, can’t box out, can’t guard anyone and you sure as shiz can’t shoot FTs.

  20. I’ll take this. This team needed this loss. Wake up before the Jazz do it for them. 2 terrible performances against two bad teams. Chris played awful by his standards tonight after the 1st quarter. Happy with Jack but man this team had no passion or fire whatsoever tonight.

  21. How do you blow two chances to win in the same play? Thanks David West for getting tunnel vision, the exact reason I have harped on you so hard your whole career… smh

  22. This game made me want to vomit. Did Dell Demps finally make that trade that broke the chemistry’s back? MARCUS MOTHER BLEEPING THORNTON. Our offense has digressed massively. This road trip is scaring the crap outta me as this team doesn’t even resemble the team that left New Orleans.

    • You are focusing on the ball at the end that didn’t go down and the turn over. How about all those dunks and useless fouls? The defense was a problem for far longer and had a great effect on getting us inthe position we were in: perform or lose. The failure to perform is disappointing, but it’s a game of percentages and the percentages went the other way.

  23. Wow……. how did we lose this game? Maybe it was the back-to-back, but regardless, we had a chance to win and we didn’t close the deal. Ariza gotta step his game up.

  24. They must’ve went out last night. I don’t care who you lose to but you can’t be losing to effin 1-13 teams. That just can’t happen.

  25. I just don’t understand how they lose that game, its like no one realized that they could possibly lose. no urgency whatsoever, no passion, no fire. that might’ve been the worst game i’ve ever seen cp3 play. Monty should make Ariza walk to SLC and if he doesn’t get there by wednesday fine his @$$! Plus west wtf do you go barreling into the lane with 3 defenders on you for? there was 13 seconds left and throughout this whole season you have kicked it out to marco like twice, learn to be a team player and make your FTs.

  26. Eichenhofer….

    “Give CP and West that exchange 100 times and they probably convert 99 of them. Tough break, ball off West’s shin. Clippers win by 4
    less than a minute ago via web ”

    I was just getting ready to go place my All Star votes but eff that, I’m keeping my votes tonight!!!!!!!!!!!

  27. Now that I’ve stopped banging my head against the desk, I’d like to 2 point out that tonight was a SEGABA and we played about as terrible as this team can play the last 2 nights and went 1-1.

    That being said, Trevor Ariza was absolutely awful tonight, CP3 was too passive in stretches and totally missed a wide open Cookies for the GW shot and the interior “defense” was abysmal. Watching this game caused me physical pain.

  28. Ugh I hope this game is a wake up call. I’m not sure where the energy has been at the last two games but they need to find it quick got 4 quality teams in waiting that we’ll be on the wrong side of a blowout if we don’t.

  29. I’m kinda glad we lost this.. Shows the team that they’re not good enough to sleep walk through the first 3 and a half quarters and win in the final 5.. They have to bring it for 48 every night on DEFENSE. I’m sure Monty is in the locker room right now telling them they lost because they didn’t want to play defense until the final 5 minutes and by that time it was too late. Refs won’t give you calls or the BOD if you go through the motions and suddenly just pick it up. I hope they learn from this and stop taking teams like Cleveland and Sacramento lightly.

  30. Tonight is probably the worst I have seen the Hornets play in a very long time. There was no determination. It was almost as if we felt the Clippers were just gonna give us the W. I don’t understand why CP puts up 12 in the first and then becomes extremely passive for the rest of the game. Ariza is really getting on my nerves. Yeah his defense is good, but the guy can’t shoot at all, and then can’t hit FT’s. Okafor didn’t exist tonight, and West seemed to be forcing shots throughout the night. Bench didn’t do too bad, but the defense for our team in general was awful. The Clippers just put up 99 on us. Clippers. The previously 1-13 Clippers.

    Hopefully Monty gets this team back to how it was playing before this road trip.

  31. NOH Domination you are very much right sir…. and i know i shouldn’t blame this loss on one person.. but TRevor Ariza…. i completely blame this loss on you!!!! yes we did other stupid stuff before and after his 2 missed free throws… but if he just makes 1!!!!!! free throw.. this game might be ending differently… but this is def something the team can learn from…. 11-2 isn’t that bad, we can still definitely rebound from this game. on to the next!!!!!!!

  32. Talk ain’t nuthin. Hornets talking that talk about hanging their hats on defense yet they didn’t seem to want to play any tonight. And when they did, it seemed the Clippers were always headed to the free throw line.

  33. They may not have scored 100 but that had nothing to do with the Bees defense.. Cause they did not play one second of defense this game. Ariza is supposed to be the guy that leads the defense, but he was completely uninterested all night. He was beat so many times off the dribble I couldn’t count and his rotations were horrible as he flew out jumping at shooters. DON’T JUMP AT SHOOTERS!!! and then after he flew by he didn’t hustle to get back into the play. Say all you want about his offense and what he did wrong, but you expect that from him, you don’t expect defensive lapses. Same goes for the whole team. They lost 100% because they played uninterested defense as a unit.

    • Ariza has done that a few times this season, Im thinking our other loss as a huge example (it feels nice to say other loss this far into the season though)

      Alot of excuses made on this page but I think it came down to wanting it, clippers rookies smelt the chance to make some noise, hornets turned up and played the clippers record not the clippers.

      82 games in a season, we are bound to get over it at some stage and I think the real danger is teams like the clippers that can pull something out of their asses and we just assume we win against. Hopefully monty gets into the veterans tonight because it starts with them. If CP DW and TA are all showing effort and passion the other 9 players will follow.

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