And with that, the Hornets lose their first game, falling 98-95 to Dallas in Dallas.(Box Score) There will be some who read a lot into this game. They’ll focus on the fact the Hornets blew a fourth quarter lead, but I’m not upset by the outcome. The Hornets had their looks to win it, and they didn’t go down. Both teams were playing hard throughout, and the Hornets actually out-rebounded and had fewer turnovers than the Mavericks. The Mavericks simply executed their defensive game plan enough to keep the Hornets attack off-balance through the fourth.
Chris Paul
The Hornets were struggling at the start to score, and Chris Paul took it upon himself to kick start the offense, taking the offense on himself and getting the Hornets back into it after they got down early. He was also playing a very physical brand of basketball, throwing himself at Mavericks left and right and spending a lot of time on the floor. Some of it was play-acting, some of it wasn’t, but it didn’t help much in the end as he ended with only 4 free throw attempts. In the fourth, he once again tried to take the team on his shoulders, but Tyson Chandler shuts down a high pick and roll as well as any big in the league, and it just wasn’t working. Paul ended up having to take multiple contested shots at the buzzer and they weren’t going down.
Tyson Chandler
Yeah, I’m talking about the other team’s big guy. I still love Tyson Chandler, and anyone watching tonights game saw why I still think he was the 2nd best player on the Hornets three seasons ago. He shut down the pick and roll, he helped make West and Okafor have miserable games, and he helped contest numerous shots near the hoop. Without Chandler, that game was a runaway win for the Hornets. Damn you, Ceiling Fan Repairman!
Other Observations
- The only inexcusable error in that game was Ariza passing the ball into Okafor for the final shot at the three point line. The Hornets had another time out. He should have used it.
- Monty felt comfortable playing Peja whenever Shawn Marion or Jason Kidd were on the floor. Neither of those guys were particularly mobile, but Peja did allow several wide open threes down the stretch as he was too slow to get out on the shooter. Yeah, he was stroking his own, but I have a hard time not wishing Belinelli had been out there instead.
- Belinelli was working so hard out there tracking Terry, and he really kept JET under control for most of the time he was out there. Unfortunately, Belinelli wasn’t getting much done offensively either, but my respect for him as a defender grows every game.
- Jason Smith on Dirk Nowitzki is scary ugly.
- Okafor had a tough, tough night. Multiple three second violations as the Mavs perimeter defenders forced the Hornets to make a second move rather than get an open shot – leaving Okafor exposed as he fought for rebounding position.
- Willie Green was huge. That last shot of his off the drive and bump on Jason Kidd was great, and he was sticking his open threes.
- The whistles in that game were crazy. Physical game made ugly by two competitive defenses.
Dallas comes down the New Orleans Wednesday. Let’s see if we can welcome them in kind and start a new streak.
Have a good night.
70 responses to “The Mavericks beat the Hornets”
D’oh! 10 point differential in the fourth quarter? I’m gonna hear it from the Mavs fans tomorrow.
hehe, but 8-1 is amazing. Keep working hard, Bees!
Let it be known that Mavs gave the Hornets their first loss.
Let it be known that the Hornets still have a better record.
It’s gonna be known on Wednesday. Known and felt.
Technically, the Cavs gave the Hornets their first loss.
Seriously, you recap every game wishing your boy Thorton was active and Peja shouldn’t play. Watch the game again, the Three that Kidd hit that peja didnt run out he was on Dirk because the hornets were cross matched (dirk dunk or kidd 3? pick one). You need to stop bashing Peja on this site, he is playijng hard and well. It’s not his fault he is over paid but give him some props when he deserves it.
Do we really bash Peja?
I like the guy, and tonight on the DDL chat I defended him a bit. I know Ryan has written a few articles pointing out his that his defense is better than people think.
He’s still a decent player, and an excellent three point shooter, but he’s just not in the plans moving forward. As much nostalgia as we have for his awesome three point shots from the past and the cool Peja heads, the reality is that he’s most valuable to this team as a trade asset.
I think a lot of the hate on him comes from his absurd contract, which is in no way his fault. It’s really hamstrung the team for a number of years now.
Also, Marcus wasn’t mentioned in this recap at all.
This site has focused alot on Thorton as a young prospect. I’ve read this blog for a long time, to get insight on the Hornets as I’m a huge fan of Paul and Peja and wanted to see the Hornets win it all. Thorton has had more analysis than any other player due to his LSU ties and I just think Willie Green is a way better player at 2.
I’m just glad Peja recieved an opportunity to play the last two games and has showed huge heart to play so well that the Dallas announcers even said it looks like Peja of 2003. I’ve seen 100’s of veterans hang it it up and just collect checks on the last year of big deals knowing they weren’t in the plans of the franchise. Peja has been a classact and showed a lot of haters that he has pride. Then you guys write I wish Marco was in after Peja scores 17 on 8 shots? Obv. this game will help his trade value.
Very true about Marcus. He was a really fun player to cover last year, and with him being a rookie it was easier to get access to him than the other players. The LSU thing helped with his popularity, and his high-level play made him an obvious player to talk about him a bunch. We didn’t have that much good to speak of last year, and I personally like to stay positive.
As for Peja’s play, I still think that he’s a capable player, worthy of seeing time against certain lineups. You’re totally right about him not quitting, and continuing to take pride in what he does. I respect him as much as anyone else in the league for the way he conducts himself both on and off the court. He is a true class act, and has been a pleasure to watch throughout his career.
I actually didn’t see too much of when he was in there tonight since my computer was fighting me, so I can’t comment too much on this evening’s performance. From the stats, though, it looks like he was super efficient offensively.
On defense though, Marco has been playing fantastic. You have to give him credit for that. He is a superior defender to Peja, and that’s just how things are right now in their respective careers.
BTW- On that last play there is NOBODY who I would have rather seen take the shot than Peja. Well, maybe Okafor…
My take on his trade value is that it’s not at all correlated with how he plays. Anyone who gets him won’t be adding him in an effort to contend, but more likely in an attempt to sell a few more tickets and cut future salary.
Like I said, I think his salary is why he has so many haters among the Hornets faithful. I personally don’t blame him at all for it, but it’s easy to think of what life would be like if that 15 million could be used for an additional star big man.
I have already written why Peja’s expiring contract is more valuable to us than trading it, and I stand by that. What I find more interesting is this idea: What if the Hornets could sign Peja for next year at $2-3M/year? That might be worth it. His PER is 26, 2nd highest on the team (after CP3’s 29) and one of two in the 20s. So he is very effecient when he is on the floor. He certainly seems to benefit from the reduced minutes, and playing against opponent’s 2nd team. What other shooter can get at that price?
There’s nothing that says we can’t both deal Peja out AND sign him after this contract expires.
The cap and other roster necessities will play a role, but it’s not to be dismissed out of hand.
42, That’s a good point.
I think we need younger officials cuz these old arse officials like to slow the game down with all those whistles. I thought this game would end at midnight. LOL.
Get your tickets and lets make the Hive a stinging place on Wednesday!
Wednesday ain’t gonna get here fast enough.
knew okafor having a good night against tyson was key…. and now i finally agree belly looks good on defense he played great tonight except he looked very tired chasing terry around … was screaming at my computer where i was watching the game to call that second timeout. And lastly i think monty lost us that game with his bad substiutions in the 4th quarter we couldnt get a board and our slow rotations were awful
Agreed that the rotations were pretty umm…. interesting in the fourth quarter especially for a man who says defense wins games then why was Peja in for D-West? Peja can score no question but so can West and plus there is added defense.
CP played only 33 minutes! And other things that could’ve went our way so it wasn’t a dissasterous loss.
I have to agree here. Peja is not a 4. Plus Smith 1 defensive rebound in 15 mins, that isn’t good.
You all know who would do better.
Nana Papa Yaw Dwene Mensah-Bonsu?!?!
That’s the man!
Marco “wasn’t get much done offensively.” There is no excuse for getting a shooting guard as good as he is only five shots, most of which he had to manufacture himself. 22 minutes? It was Marco’s threes at the end of last game that put the game out of reach and tonight he sits down the stretch? Yes, Willie had a very nice game but Monty needs to show Marco the confidence to put him in with the game on the line and run plays for him. I see very few plays being run for Marco overall. The tag-team Chris/David offense can be very good, but they have to expand their offensive scheme to include Marco. Let’s see if they make that adjustment for Wednesday.
In a game defined by jump shots it was nice to see him mixing it up by driving to the basket. I think late in the 3Q Brian Cardinal was defending him, and Marco just took it right at him and got fouled (and almost lost his shorts in the process).
How I wish I can go to the Hive and make the Mavericks feel the entirety of the Hornets fanbase. All of you have tickets(or are capable of buying one), pls support the bees at the Hive. Everybody else, let’s storm the DDL. Joe was getting eaten up during those last 2 minutes. I was there, but DDL won’t publish my comments O_O
Sorry, Nikko. I tried to get a few up, but the stream you were watching was about 3 minutes behind the actual game.
I think Wednesday is going to be packed and loud, but I could be wrong.
you won’t be wrong( i hope). i hope everybody sees the potential in this team.
What’s up with Thornton? Why has he been inactive, and how come he wasn’t getting any playtime when he wasn’t inactive? He played good aggressive basketball when he was getting a chance to play. Are the Hornets looking to trade him? Thanks for the information.
He’s not getting time because of his defense. Monty Williams has emphasized team defense, and right now Marcus is one of the worst defenders in the back court. I hate saying that, but it’s probably true. From what I’ve heard, he just never really had a lot of coaching on the defensive side of the ball (ever), and it’s going to take some time for him to get up to par with the rest of the guys. I’m hoping it works out with him and the Hornets, but I get the feeling that he’s available via trade if the right deal comes along.
Offensively he’s still really good, but needs to stop avoiding contact and work on getting to the line more.
Joe, I am not faulting your point at all. I think its very evident hes not gettin PT cos of his D. But can bayless’ turnovers really be that much better?
On the avoiding contact thing, It annoys me so much as a shorter but nuggety shaped guard myself contact is what got me so many points as a High School player and whenever I see him falling away from fellow guards I get up and throw my controller at the TV cursing his name.
Then he sells a shotfake and gets to the rim and a soft warm feeling takes over.
Id just like to see him playing when the matchup is ok (ie Kidd and Terry, the other guard could defend terry and he take Kidd) because Monty “Matchup” Williams keeps telling us thats how he is doing his rotation
my god, so many people touting the Hornets are going to start losing now, and the Mavericks going to start dominating. O_O what lame short sightedness can be.
what i meant was, people are lame to be so short sighted
Screw em. That’s what they’re hoping but we ain’t gonna let it happen.
CP3 is gonna go off on Wednesday.
@pejavu
1. Willie Green is better at defense by far at the position. Thornton, however is way more explosive, and yes his LSU ties give him love from here.
2. That being said, marcus is on the bench for the same reason some wanted marco over Peja, which is defense. Peja, in terms of one on one defense, makes players shoot mid range shots which is the least efficient shot to take, although he allows a lot of space. But it is his lack of activity on defense that perturbs me. He doesn’t hustle up and down the court like other athletic players, nor does he rebound efficiently and now that Monty uses him at the 4 sometimes that is not good.
3. Still, I love it when he’s on. Peja heads need to start making road trips.
Peja stats:
P. Stojakovic 19:25 6-8 4-6 1-1
This looks fine for me. That is what you want for your second unit.
He collects a big salary, but he does try and he is a team player.
In the end, if he is gonna be traded someone has to be tempted to do so, and we should be happy that he is still tradeable..
The MT brigade should focus on other issues if they want to support their player. I am all in favour for MT to be used and think he is wasted in the bench but they need to focus elsewhere.
So how did Bayless do yesterday? Did he offer anything more than Marcus could have done?
i think the backcourt reserve duo of thornton and green needs to get some time together. On offense green is decent enough to bring the ballup up and doesnt run out of control into the paint, picking up his dribble to then throw a terrible pass or throw up a prayer (im looking at you jerryd) and i think if green can get shooters such as peja, beli, smith and even thornton involved whilst cp and dw are sitting then id rather give that a try than.
Do not mistake me for some dumb aussie who is talking off the boxscore (ive watched every game this year online) I have heard Mr Williams claim his rotations are based on matchups. Well Im sorry Mr Williams, Dallas has Marcus written all over it, Give Green the job on Terry and let Marcus walk around following Kidd on his zimmer frame or the perenial nothingness of Stevenson.
Bayless needs to step it up or itll be unacceptable for Monty to give “his boi” the time he is gettin
So did Ariza missed the two 3’s in the end?
And who was marking J Terry who did all the damage?
He did miss two 3’s that were fairly open, but buried a tough one seconds earlier. Thing is it shouldnt have gotten to the point where we needed it and Jet scored on anyone infront of him, he just hit tough shots all 2nd half
I guess it was kind of overlooked by most, but West really didn’t bring his game tonight against Dirk. Normally he does so well against him, and that was really the big difference tonight in my mind.
dirk- 25 points on 12 shots, and 10 boards
West- 12 points on 14 shots and 5 boards
Oh well. It was bound to happen sooner or later. At least we didn’t play well and lose. That would have been upsetting.
We lost by 3 on the road to the 5th or 6th best team in the league. We had an off night from West and Okafor on offense, a bad first half of free throw shooting, and a bad second half from CP3. What I liked:
We weathered a ridiculous start by Dallas, we adjusted to what they were doing with Dirk and Tyson, Green was tough and clutch, and Peja was Peja again.
What I didn’t like: We have nobody to keep up with Barea and Terry. Fast relentless guards bother us on the defensive end. Annoying guards like Barea (remember Dhantay Jones) can still knock CP3 off his game mentally. West and Okafor missed a lot from close in. Too many weak fouls. Lack of discipline on Jason Kidd letting him kill us on 3-point set shots.
JJ Barea said Paul is the toughest player he’s had to guard in this league. I don’t think Barea can knock Paul off his game mentally or otherwise. You seriously think JJ Barea had anything to do with CP not playing as well in the 2nd half of last nights game? Seriously? LOL. That 4th foul on CP ruined the flow. He may have wanted to come out and be aggressive and put up 61 on Dallas last night but turned out he was a bit too aggressive and it cost.
If Thornton’s perceived weakness is his D, how come Peja is getting so much burn when its bleeding obvious that his achilles heel is his defense?
Correct me if i am wrong but Peja is covering PF and he has the height to do so 6′ 10″..
but he hasn’t the skill to play PF
Fair enough.
But Peja as a PF sounds so ridiculous. I’ve never seen him post up, ever.
he would not post up.
He would probably force the PF to keep track of him in the 3p line, so Okafor can play 1vs1 with the other center?
It would be ok in offense but at defense he will not help.
On the other hand J Smith did not have a good night yesterday..
It is really getting frustrating that Peja is obviously eating into Pops minutes at 4. To echo many folks summary, it seems strange that with a focus on D Peja is playing the 4 role. I can’t see that working long term and maybe he is currently being showcased before being offloaded.
@rm
When did skill ever become part of playing power forward. Nah just joking, showing my allegiance to PG brothers lol. In fairness he didnt really mark any 4s, Ariza took that job a bit and it looked like Monty has him playin SF part ii.
All the hype that Jason Smith was getting at the beginning of the season seems a bit silly now.
Well, Dirk has that ability to make any defender look like a chump.
if you watched the game, you know Jason was hustling. Dirk just made him look bad. I still believe Jason Smith is the answer at the 4/5 Pair him up with another big who is physical and yet has offensive talents to boot( i’m looking at you thompson!), we’d have a good front court IMO. couple that with our solid back court and we have ourselves a contender. we should get Stephen Jackson and Jason Thompson! lezz go!
Smith is a good 4th big man, and a sub par 3rd.
I thought the key to the game was the 4 or 5 straight possessions in the 4th quarter where we were forced to take last second, buzzer beater jump shots. I don’t know if it was poor execution or outstanding defense by the Mavs, but, those offensive empties countered by Dallas 3’s at the other end were the difference in the game. Still, Trevor had two pretty good looks at the end to knock down a three. With regard to Peja, it was nice to see him finding his stroke offensively. Perhaps some solid offensive play like that will pay the double dividend of helping the Bees win a few games and enticing a trade partner to think that he has something to offer for the remainder of the season.
Yup.
I really wish we could have seen Marco in when Terry started heating up. Green may be a decent on-ball defender, but he looked completely lost trying to fight through screens and gave up a bunch of open looks to Terry when he was red hot. I know he was hitting some shots, but I wasn’t impressed with his D in this one.
Its on me people, im sorry, it was the first game of the season i got to see and i started watching at the beginning of the 4th quarter, i gotta say im a little disappointed with CP and the offense though, the last 5-6 minutes the offense looked uuuuugly and he threw a bunch of contested shots, also, i like peja, but if hes not getting good looks theres no reason for him to be out there, needless to say he was terrible while guarding Dirk and so was Smith, oh well, i hope we kick their ass on wednesday
Hahaha…try gamecast next time then. Don’t watch it on the telly or via stream.
Co-sign on kicking their behind next game.
Well too bad you didn’t see the first 3 quarters. CP was on pace to drop 61 to honor his dead grandfather who was killed 8 years ago yesterday. Probably not aiming for 61 though. That’s just my thinking. Hahaha.
Another MMA reference:
Jon Bones Jones, one of the most exciting fighters today said that after his first loss, he became more relaxed since there’s no longer that added pressure of maintaining his unblemished record…and then he went on to make mincemeat of his next opponents.
I’m really hoping that the first loss would take a lot of pressure off the Bees making it easier for everyone to let their games come to them instead of forcing the issue.
Also, the serious looking 8-1 is kinda better than the one-eyed and shocked 9-0.
Great game, even if I wish the outcome was different. I thought the Hornets did many many things well, especially on the offensive glass. I also agree with Ryan that the only thing that went poorly for the Bees was Okafor taking that last shot. You still have a :20, Trevor. Use it. This game changed, IMO, when CP got whistled for his 4th foul. We sub for a young Bayless, and in comes JJ Barea for the Mavericks. Say what you want about this guy. He may be a pesky gnat of a player, but he can flat out get to the basket. His dribble penetration killed the Hornets late in the 3rd, and caused the defense to adjust and collapse on his drives in the 4th, leaving WIDE open looks from behind the arc. Give the Mavs credit, they hit them. With the Hornets taking the ball out of the net as much as they were in that 4th quarter, that allowed the Mavs to get up the floor and set up that zone defense, to which we had no answer inside. This is a good game for Monty, because I thought this was the 1st game that he was out-coached late. He will take this to heart. The only other thing I can reallly say about the game was that the Mavericks came out in the 4th quarter and beat the Hornets, and at least the Hornets didn’t beat themselves. Thats why they are called growing pains, folks.
Last thought: Its really nice to see Tyson Chandler healthy again, but it sucks to see him in Maverick blue and white. He anchors that Movs zone D so effectively, it almost makes me throw up in my mouth.
last note from myself, feel free to tell me if you think im an idiot but i was just thinking about it.
Montys Defense is all about stopping layups and creating tough outside looks, with an emphasis on stopping easy buckets. Sometimes teams will be good enough to knock down the threes, those shots (yeah a few were easier than we have been giving up) we have been living with and teams haven’t been hitting at a good enough clip, we came up against one team with an awesome home crowd, cp sitting after a stretch of dubious fouls (Violet should get back to the kitchen and stop messing up basketball games for all of us) and a night where no hornet really got hot (aside from CPs first half)
No need to panic, as many may be suggesting. This will happen all season long, if we defend as we did tonight (we kept a team wit Dirk and Jet to under 100pts) we will be fine. Losing 1 in 9 due to teams just gettin hot and hitting the tough shots is very fine with me
well said. well said. i’m hoping our next 25 losses come in this form: bad night from us, couple of bad breaks from us, nothing really disastrous like West not anymore defending, Okafor reverting to taking free throw jumpers and stuff like that. I hope it comes from a good team hitting tough shots and us not getting the break. I would hate it if we lost because of bad execution and bone headed plays.
Marco is the Hornets only perimiter defender who does all he can to fight his way through picks rather than slide under. And watch him on defense as he visualizes and orchestrates switches. Never loses focus and brings 100% energy to every defensive stand.
I would like to see Marco hit more shots. The guy gets soooo many open looks but doesn’t knock them down. Paul sets Marco’s table very well and I hate when he doesn’t knock down very good open looks. CP could be averaging 11-12 assists right now if Marco knocked down more of his shots.
Knock down more shots? He had five freekin attempts last night, two of which had had to manufacture on his own. The hornets need to look his way much more often, expecially in spot up situations away from the pick and roll.
Queen: you need to check the game and check the stats before you bring a strong opinion or you’ll be exposed as a sterile neuter instead of the queen.
i’ve only perused the previous posts…feel like we played a very “gutsy” with a lot of heart. however not our best game and we still had a chance to tie/win down the stretch in Dallas where we have struggled over the years. had some questionable calls, especially in the 3rd quarter. hope as fans we start supporting these guys a little better as a whole by not only showing up at the hive on game nights but also being vocal in our support. not sure if tv viewers could see jason terry celebrating after he made shots (even when he was 3/12), but in the arena witnessed him doing his “jet shuffle” everytime he made a bucket. hope we give him a “proper” welcome on wednesday. dirk deserves our best as well. Fan Up NOLA & see you at the hive.
jason thompson for peja right now
I like that trade … if it can happen contract-wise!
L_Reazy
Yeah we played good. I just think we should have done the fourth quarter with our five starters. I mean, we were leading by ten, at the moment no team can outscore our starting defense by ten points in just one quarter, don’t you guys think?
we should of kept dj mbanga in. he locked down dirk