New Orleans Hornets Stomp the Magic at Home

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Published: January 27, 2012

The New Orleans Hornets stomped the Orlando Magic 93-67 behind strong performances by their ball handlers and a n excellent defensive effort.

Carl Landry With a Put Back Dunk

It was a long time coming, but he Hornets finally pulled through today and got a 2012 home win. They did it behind a relatively great performance by everyone handling the rock, and a strong showing by the defense. Dwight Howard got his, of course, but he was limited in the damage he did inside. The Hornets didn’t give him easy buckets, and in the end the Magic just didn’t bring the intensity that New Orleans did. Other than Dwight, not a single Magic player scored in double figures.

How it ended: The Hornets went on a 21-4 run beginning midway through the second quarter and ending when Chris Duhon hit a jumper with just under nine minutes to go in the third. Then Okafor missed two free throws and Howard got a three point play, cutting the lead to 15. Belinelli hit a three the next time down the floor, ending the small Magic run. Orlando would never recover.

When it really ended, nearly everyone had stayed (even though the game was a blowout), and all of them were on their feet to give the Hornets a much deserved round of applause. The fans did a great job tonight. I know the players and coaches appreciated everyone sticking around. Confetti even came down!

 

Orlando Magic 67 Final
Recap | Box Score
93 New Orleans Hornets
Trevor Ariza, SF 27 MIN | 2-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 5 PTS | +12Trevor wasn’t there on offense tonight, but he was in the middle of passing lanes, suffocating his mark, and all over the boards. He’s never going to be a go-to guy on offense, but when he plays D like he did tonight he’s a valuable asset to any team.
Jason Smith, PF 29 MIN | 7-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 14 PTS | +26When Okafor wasn’t on Howard, Smith was. I know what you’re thinking—“But Joe, the Hornets won! How is this possible?” Truly Smith matched up pretty well on Dwight. His length and athleticism kept Dwight from getting the ball inside enough to really hurt the Hornets. Smith even had a sweet block on Superman that brought laughter (among other things) from the crowd. Offensively he got way above the rim for a put back and hit a six of his eight jumpers.
Emeka Okafor, C 31 MIN | 4-7 FG | 1-6 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 9 PTS | +12Normally Okafor gets rocked by Dwight, but today he wasn’t half bad. Not only did he do work on the defensive end, forcing Howard to make tough shots as opposed to the thunderous dunks we’re used to seeing by Dwight in Nola, but he kept Dwight busy on the defensive end as well by adding nine first half points. Monty said before the game that Emeka had evolved as an offensive player like nobody ever thought he would coming out of Charlotte, so I’ll assume Monty jinxed his free throw shooting.
Jarrett Jack, PG 24 MIN | 5-10 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 9 AST | 11 PTS | +19Jack was the steady hand tonight, hitting jumpers when the Hornets seemed to be having a hard time getting back on track offensively. Mostly though, he was a distributor, and a damn fine one at that. The 9-1 assist to turnover ratio is certainly one of his best of the year. He really played well on both ends of the floor.
Marco Belinelli, SG 29 MIN | 5-12 FG | 1-3 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 15 PTS | +12Marco came to play tonight, hitting two of his first three’s and helping the Hornets build and pad a lead throughout the game. Throughout the game, he continued to play well on both ends. In the end it was one of his better performances of the year. His threes are similar to Peja’s in that they get the crowd particularly riled up.
Carl Landry, PF 25 MIN | 8-13 FG | 1-1 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 17 PTS | +7With about 6:50 to go the crowd came to it’s feet following Greivis Vasquez sprawling on the floor to recover a loose ball. Carl Landry then delivered his most memorable moment of the year—an offensive put back slam that brought reporters to their feet. Other than that, Landry had a quiet, but effective game. He didn’t get to the line, but got the points the Hornets needed from him when he got the rock. I’ll ignore the lack of rebounding in the first 11/12ths of the game. Tonight they didn’t need it.
DaJuan Summers, F 2 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 3 PTS | +3Didn’t see much time, but hit a nice three pointer late in the game. I’m feeling generous.
Greivis Vasquez, PG 27 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-1 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 8 PTS | +10Vasquez struggled again with his shot, but played quality defense, especially in regard to getting in passing lanes. He got the floater to fall and held onto the rock, so it was a good game overall, even if he missed more than one open three.
Gustavo Ayon, PF 9 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | +4He was active, but seemed out of his rhythm on offense. Didn’t see much time.
Al-Farouq Aminu, SF 28 MIN | 4-8 FG | 1-1 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | +21Aminu was up and down, driving strong to the hoop and finishing with a man in his face one time down the floor, and then kicking it away the next. Playing solid defense, and then losing his man. He continues to impress me with his instincts on the glass, but there’s work to be done. I can’t wait to see what he and Monty have planned for this summer.
Xavier Henry, SG 9 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | +4Henry made his first shot in New Orleans arena as a Hornet. Nice! That’s worth an A-plus for sure.

Five Things We Saw

  1. Dell Demps on Chris Kaman- “We had a conversation with Chris and expressed that the Hornets are going to go in a different direction. We mutually decided for a number of reasons that we are not going to play Chris as we pursue a trade. Chris has been the ultimate professional during this process and we thank him for the way he has handled this situation.”
  2. Hornets have a new mascot on the court, who appears to be a female Hugo/Hugo’s love interest, Bee-atrice. She busted out on the floor in between air-hugo and air-mini-hugo. This sort of seems familiar, but I can’t remember it. Unless I’m wrong, she’s new.
  3. Fittingly, Earl Clark was rejected by the rim on a breakaway dunk with about four minutes to play.
  4. Will Ferrell was at the Hive sitting next to Morris Bart. He (along with Weber) was among the last people to stand up for the opening tip. #NOOB
  5. I got a Creole Blue Crawfish today for my fishtank today. If he gets too big I’m going to eat him. Also, I found out that I can’t have a beer while watching the game in the press area. What? I needed a fifth thing…

Jarrett Jack & Chris Duhon With there 102yr old Great Grandfather

Jarrett Jack & Dwight Howard

Tip-Off

Jarrett Jack

Trevor Ariza

Carl Landry

Al-farouq Aminu

Jarrett Jack

Jason Smith

Jarrett Jack

Mardi Gras Baby

 

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