Late Running Hook by Tim Duncan Sinks Hornets

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Published: January 23, 2012

The New Orleans Hornets yet again came up just short of a victory, this time feeling the pain of defeat thanks to a Tim Duncan running hook shot and a game full of pick-and-rolls from Tony Parker. Final score– 104-102 Spurs.

Mike Dunleavy senior (who I identified as someone who has taken the first concrete step toward purchasing the Hornets) was in attendance tonight.

Also, Eric Gordon reportedly has a structurally sound knee and is on the verge of extending his deal with the Hornets. He can resume basketball activities in three weeks. Still no word on what exactly the problem was/is. I’ll be interested to find out what the actual diagnosis was.

 

After the game, Monty called Tim Duncan the best power forward of all time. He looked like it tonight.

How it Ended:  With the score tied 90-90 with 5:00 to go, the Spurs grabbed an offensive board and took possession. Tiago Splitter layed in a bucket for two, and immediately following, Belinelli improperly nbounded the ball and the Spurs took over. They missed and Trevor followed that up on the other end with a miss of his own. Parker then found the rim yet again.

Okafor found the rock with a second left on the shot clock and nailed a jumper. I’ll never get used to writing that…

After a Jefferson miss on the other end, Duncan got an offensive board and topped it in to give the Spors a four point lead. Predictably, Jarrett Jack answered with a jumper to pull it back to two.

Tim Duncan hit a jumper of his own off yet another pick and roll, and just like that it was a four point game with 2:24 to go. After a brief commercial/dancing (cam) break, the Hornets came out with a lineup of  Belli- Okafor-Ariza-Jack Landry (all from last year), and Belli hit yet another jumper.

Parker then headed down the floor and again got the basket and hit a floater. Not to be outdone, Jack hit another jumper. The guy would not be denied.

The Spurs then threw it to Tim Duncan for an ISO and he drew a foul on Jack. After hitting both free throws the Spurs had a 102-98 lead.

Guess who answered? Jarrett Jack! He took it to the hole for nice reverse layup. After a Hornets steal on the other end he ran the floor, barely missing a layup that would have tied up the game with 40 seconds to play.

After Parker killed time, he found a cutting Splitter who was flat out DENIED by Emeka Oakfor, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Down two with 14 seoconds left, Jack took the ball and went at the hoop. He missed, barely, but Emeka Okafor was there to finish it for his little buddy.

Tie game. Four seconds left.

Enter the sadness.

Tim Duncan nailed a running hook shot from 13 feet. The Hornets inbounded to Landry with a tick and a half left on the clock. He gave it a go from a step and a half behind the three point line, but it hit nothing but air as time expired.

 

San Antonio Spurs 104 FinalRecap | Box Score 102 New Orleans Hornets
Trevor Ariza, SF 36 MIN | 7-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 18 PTS | +4Contributed nine points in the first eight minutes of the game, helping the Hornets get out to a nice early lead. He slowed down his offensive roll after that, but he was feeling it all game long. I don’t know what causes Trevor to unleash his better self, but I really enjoy watching when he does.
Jason Smith, PF 17 MIN | 2-3 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | +9When Monty was particularly upset about a foul with about 45 seconds to go in the first half, Smith stepped in between Monty and the ref, presumably to make sure Monty didn’t get T’ed up. I like a player that looks out for his coach. He had some nice energy plays and didn’t try to do too much.
Emeka Okafor, C 33 MIN | 5-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | -3Okafor has really developed a nice little right handed hook shot and seems to have the green light to use it on offense. Banged bodies with Duncan earlier, and was very unfortunate to not see better results from it. He was a big reason why the Hornets led the points in the paint battle 8-0 after the first quarter. Overall he played a quality game.
Jarrett Jack, PG 41 MIN | 12-22 FG | 1-1 FT | 6 REB | 9 AST | 26 PTS | +6Jarrett Jack went into beast-mode tonight just about every time the Hornets needed a big play on offense. He clearly was doing his best Chris Paul impersonation, but on the defensive end he was hopeless. Parker found space every time he tried and in the end nothing Jack could do (he did a lot) would change that. It’s hard to blame him for getting burned on defense since that’s what we all expected. The blame goes to Monty for not coming up with a plan to stop Parker.
Marco Belinelli, SG 29 MIN | 5-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | -1Look who remembered how to shoot! Belli had the jumper going all game long. Defensively he played a nice game. His biggest error was when he was unable to inbound properly midway through the fourth. He beat himself up about it, though, so I don’t need to.
Chris Kaman, C 14 MIN | 3-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | +1I may have missed one, but I think every time Kaman missed a shot today he looked at the ref for a call. I’m all about getting to the line, but I always got the feeling he was looking for a bail out. Again he was way off shooting and struggled on defense despite getting a couple blocks. At least he grabbed boards when they came his way.
Carl Landry, PF 32 MIN | 5-11 FG | 8-9 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 18 PTS | -11Landry picked up right where he left off last game, aggressively initiating contact and getting to the line. The end result was another efficient if unspectacular game. He was fighting a lot harder for boards tonight than he has been recently, and as a result he eclipsed his rebounding total from the last four games combined.
DaJuan Summers, F 9 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -9The Hornets really struggled on both ends when Summers was out there. I’m hesitant to blame it on him, but his defense was sub-par and he had two fouls and a turnover in only eight munutes. I’ve seen better days (cue Sublime).
Greivis Vasquez, PG 17 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | 0Hit a big three as the shot clock expired with 10:30 left in the fourth to close the deficit to one, and then a floater the next time down to take the lead. Those points were big for the Hornets as they got the crowd excited for the closing minutes. Other than that minute he didn’t play particularly well. He struggled to hang with Parker just as Jack did.

Five Things We Saw

  1. Wanda Sykes was at the game. She occupied baseline seats instead of the halfcourt seats usually reserved for celebrities AND her being in attendance wasn’t highlighted until the fourth quarter. Brook Shields, Melanie Griffith and Daryl Hannah, however, occupyied Hugh Weber’s usual seats and were highlighted early in the game. I hope someone has some lotion because Wanda Sykes just got a mild burn!
  2. Trey Johnson was in a suit for non-injury reasons. Xavier Henry was active but never touched the floor. Squeaky and Ayon received DNP’s. I probably would have tried to get Ayon involved in an effort to slow down the pick and roll, but what do I know?
  3. Four dudes were playing the bottom of buckets with drum sticks at halftime, and it was one of my favorite halftime musical performances ever. It gave me goose bumps for some reason. Bravo, gentlemen!
  4. Kiss cam never gets old. If you think it does, you’re wrong.
  5. The Spurs had one offensive rebound through the first three quarters. The Hornets scored 100 for the first time all season and gave up 100 for only the third time. Both teams shot over 50% from the floor, marking the first time that’s happened in a Hornets game this season. The 17 assists were a career high for Tony Parker. Hornets have now lost 14 of 15. Attendance was 12,599 (yikes).

Jarrett Jack

Emeka Okafor

Greivis Vasquez

Jason Smith

Carl Landry

Jason Smith

Jason Smith

Emeka Okafor blocking Tiago Splitter's Dunk attempt

Carl Landry tipping a clutch shot back in

Carl Landry attempting a game winning 3 pointer

Everyone in the Hive on their feet once again for another close home game

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