Hornets Fall to 76ers

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Published: January 4, 2012

The Hornets faltered late yet again and lost to the 76ers by a score of 101-93.

 

Philadelphia 76ers 101 Final
Recap | Box Score
93 New Orleans Hornets
Carl Landry, PF 7-14 FG | 7-8 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 21 PTS | -6
Along with Gordon, Landry was part of a hot Hornets start that had them leading by 10 for much of the first half. He fought hard for loose balls and boards. Defensively he was less than stellar, but he held his own. This is what a good night be Landry looks like, FYI.
Al-Farouq Aminu, SF 0-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | +4
Defensively he’s pretty decent already, and on the boards he seems like he’s going to be one of the better guys at his position, but elsewhere he’s a bit of a mess still. With his height and athleticism I don’t want to see bank shots from under the basket. DUNK THAT. I played a game of NBA2K last night. I know he’s got ups. Aminu also made a bunch of strange decisions passing, most notably an attempt at an alley-opp connection with Eric Gordon early on. Late in third quarter he left Turner wide open for a three when he leaked inside for no reason. Lots of zeros on that stat sheet for a guy who should be doing a little of everything.
Emeka Okafor, C 2-4 FG | 1-4 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | -2
Couldn’t finish down low, and missed two big free throws down low late in the fourth with the Hornets down 5. Also didn’t control the paint on defense. Combine that with an untimely three-second violation and it’s hard to give him even a passing mark.
Jarrett Jack, PG 7-15 FG | 5-5 FT | 5 REB | 11 AST | 19 PTS | -8
It wasn’t a performance like he had last game, but he gave a very nice effort again on the offensive end. At a few times it seemed like he was the best chance for offense on the court. He was really pressing hard, and as a result committed a few dumb mistakes that really cost the team.
Eric Gordon, SG 8-22 FG | 5-6 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 22 PTS | +2
He came out burning hot, scoring 9 points in the first five minutes and finished the first quarter with 11 on 5-6 shooting. He added a nice block after his lone turnover that quarter, too. One thing I noticed is that he talks a lot out there. That’s important, since otherwise the Hornets are way too quiet. After struggling to start the fourth, the Hornets turned to Gordon to get them out of it. He didn’t deliver, struggling to create shots for himself and others, and being part of a few dumb turnovers by the team. He needed to finish like he started for the Hornets to get a win, and he didn’t, hence the poor grade.
Chris Kaman, C 5-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | -4
He had a couple dumb first quarter travels, but otherwise had a decent game on offense. He worked hard on both ends, although the results weren’t anything special. How nice would it be if he could limit going down low to when he finds himself there after offensive rebounds or on mismatches? He seems to get the jumper working more often than not. Tonight he had it going again, but the three second violation and traveling calls nullified some of the good.
Trey Johnson, SG 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | -7
Trey saw some time as a third guard in both the second and for most of the fourth quarter. Was hustling hard, and had a nice foul on Lou Williams to deny him an easy basket in the early fourth quarter. Didn’t pay off, but that’s a good play. He hit a nice jumper shortly after also to provide the Hornets with some much needed fourth quarter offense. I didn’t expect anything, so his performance was gravy.
Jason Smith, PF 3-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 9 PTS | -4
He had a beautiful block on the defensive end followed by an offensive rebound that resulted in a tip in after running the floor. Then he nailed a three. Energy. Energy. Energy. I like it. He’s got the makings of a great fourth big man. Locking him up at a low price for three years is looking like a heck of a deal so far this year (except when he gets hit in the head). He gave up a bit inside, but it was a nice effort overall.
Marco Belinelli, SG 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | -8
Hit a nice floater in the second quarter, then did literally nothing else until he hit a three late in the third. He missed (almost the entire basket) a crucial three that would have kept the Hornets in it with a minute left in the fourth. He’s going to see his playing time suffer if he can’t hit three. That’s what he does…
Greivis Vasquez, PG 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 0 PTS | -7
Didn’t see much burn probably because this just wasn’t a very good matchup for him. Had a few nice passes, but failed to score.

Five Things We Saw

  1. The Hornets big men are going to lead the league in blocks… against. They go up so weak around the basket, I feel like David West was a dunk machine at this point.
  2. Gordon, like Paul before him, didn’t start the fourth quarter. The Hornets, like their former selves, struggled on both ends of the floor until their star got back out there. A six point lead quickly vanished.
  3. Here’s an idea for next time— Guard Jrue Holiday. Guy can make shots when he’s open.
  4. Jazz music was an odd choice for the Arena. Sorry, I just have to say that. I love Jazz. You can find me at Snug Harbor at least 3-4 times a year, and at Preservation Hall about half that often, so don’t think it’s because I’m a jazz hater. This isn’t Utah we’re talking about. I just think that they could have gone with some upbeat funk and seen a more energetic crowd as a result. Way better than no band either way, so I’m still a happy camper.
  5. Hugo made 6 blindfolded free throws in 30 seconds. I was impressed. Also, some guy completed the NBA skills challenge as the buzzer expired to win free tickets to a future Hornets game. The crowd erupted. I like the addition of that as an in-game event.

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