Hornets247.com

This was never going to be an easy game for the Hornets, down two starters and playing one of the NBA's hottest teams on their home floor. They were able to stick with OKC until about midway through the second quarter, thanks mostly to some heavy lifting by David West, but then the Thunder ramped up the defensive pressure and the Hornets just couldn't keep up with their scoring.

98-83 was the final score (box), and the Hornets never really challenged in the second half. The didn't so much get outworked tonight, as they just got beat down by a superior opponent.

Thunder defense

Really, OKC's defense was solid all game. David West was simply unstoppable in that first quarter. Once he cooled off, the Hornets had little else to rely on. The Thunder showed some great interior defense, usually having one if not two players in position to help when guys like Collison or Thornton drove in from the wing. The result was an often stagnant Hornets offense, and very few easy baskets for them in the halfcourt. I wished they would have pushed the ball more, as that seemed to be about the only way they were getting to the rim. Unfortunately, with Collison having an inevitable off night and his teammates still winded from that 48-minute fastbreak against the Warriors on Monday, running wasn't much of an option for the Hornets.

David West

Continue reading »

The Hornets are in Oklahoma City today to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Game tips at 7 Central.

The Thunder are 38-24 on the season, 19-11 at home and they've won five of their last six. Durant continues to pour in the points, averaging 29.6ppg on the season, good for second in the League. Russell Westbrook has also been playing well for OKC, averaging 20 points and 9.8 assists in his last ten games.

The Thunder last played on Sunday, beating the Kings in Sacramento, 108-102. Durant led the way with 27 points in that one, though Westbrook proved to be the hero by scoring 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

The Hornets are coming off Monday's much-needed 135-131 win over the Warriors. Lots of big numbers in that one, most notably the 28 points apiece from David West and Marcus Thornton, and a rookie-record 20 assists from Darren Collison. Unfortunately, the Hornets lost Peja Stojakovic to an abdominal injury in the third quarter, and he's expected to miss a minimum of two weeks. Julian Wright will start in his place tonight.

This will be the third and final meeting between the Hornets and Thunder this season. They split the first two games, with the Hornets using a balanced attack to win in OKC in January, and the Thunder leaning heavily on Durant and Westbrook to steal one in New Orleans in February.

Numbers:

Pace: Thunder 95.5 (13th), Hornets 94.8 (16th)
Offensive Efficiency: Thunder 104.0 (15th), Hornets 104.8 (13th)
Defensive Efficiency: Thunder 100.2 (4th), Hornets 106.2 (19th)

Linkage:

• Journals: The State of the (Hornets) Union
  
• Lagniappe: Chaos, conversations and video
  
• Standings: Hornets still 10th in the West, five games behind the 8th-place Blazers
  
• Rival bloggers: Blue Blitz | Daily Thunder.com (THN) | Thunder Rumblings

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today's banner featuring J.R. Smith. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz's designs in our Wallpapers vault.)

The pattern continues in New Orleans, as the Hornets fell behind by double digits - twice - and then stormed back in the fourth to make it competitive.  Tonight, the game went in favor of OKC, who did everything well but hold onto the ball.

Key stat of the night:  OKC went 15-30 from midrange(10-23 feet) shooting a good 12% better than their average from there.  The Hornets went 7-24, or 12% worse than their average.  The biggest shot of the game, by Russell Westbrook, was a jumpshot from about 17 feet, where he is only shooting 32% for the season.  The Hornets got OKC to take the shot they wanted.  Credit Westbrook for sticking it anyways.

Marcus Thornton

Lil' Buckets combined with James Posey as the engine propelling the big comeback in the fourth.  He did take a few shots that made me groan, but he also repeatedly attacked the basket, putting the onus on the Thunder to stop him.  When he went out after a hard fall, the Hornets lost the only guy on the court who could generate shots for himself.  He tried gamely to keep playing, but the  way he moved reminded me of a 90-year old backing up to a couch to sit down - gingerly edging backwards, with his arms held away from his body for instant action in case something unexpected happened.  Up to that point, he had gone for 22 points on 18 shots, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, a steal, and no turnovers.  He'd also done a very good job on James Harden.

David West

West started out the game aggressive, punishing Jeff Green in the first half.  In the second, the Thunder were doubling a little faster and using Ibaka or Collison to check him and he became largely ineffectual, taking some weak long bombs.  He also was completely unable to help Collison on high screens guarding Westbrook.

That put West in an unfamiliar place in the fourth:  on the bench the entire quarter.  As I've said so many times before, against athletic teams, Bower feels he has to decide if he wants to keep Okafor or West in at center next to Songaila, who will move his feet on high screens.  Tonight, for the first time, he determined Okafor was being more effective.  I'm not upset by the choice - but I do disagree a bit.  David West does amp up his effort in the fourth quarter, particularly defensively. 

Of course, that begs the question why he can be so lackadaisical defensively during the first three quarters.

Other Observations

Continue reading »

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are in New Orleans today to take on the Hornets, game tipping at the usual 7 Central.

The Thunder are 27-21 on the season, 12-11 on the road and just a game ahead of the Hornets in the standings. They've won three straight after a three-game losing streak, most recently beating the Hawks in OKC 106-99 last night. Durant scored 33 points and grabbed 11 boards in that one, while Russell Westbrook was a board and a dime shy of a triple double.

Tonight's game is the second of three meetings between the Hornets and Thunder this season. New Orleans won the first showdown back on January 6th in Oklahoma City, when all five Hornets' starters scored in double figures and Chris Paul shut down KD in the crunch.

The Hornets are coming off Monday's loss to the visiting Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul has missed the past two games with a knee injury and it was announced earlier today that he will undergo surgery tomorrow. Expect him to miss another month or so. Darren Collison has stepped in and delivered a total of 33 points and 32 assists in the last two games.

Linkage:

• Earlier on the blog: Ryan's game preview and analysis
• Lagniappe: Rookie awards, time running out for Peja, and plenty more
  
• Rival bloggers: Blue Blitz | Daily Thunder.com (THN) | Thunder Rumblings

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today's banner featuring Ryan Bowen, who played in 74 games for the Hornets the last two seasons, and one game for OKC this season before being cut in November. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz's designs in our Wallpapers vault.)

Matchup: Thunder(27-21) @ Hornets(26-22)

Off Efficiency: Thunder 103.3(19th), Hornets 104.8(14th)
Def Efficiency: Thunder 100.5(6th), Hornets 105.5(19th)

The Thunder have recovered from a three game losing streak with a three game winning streak, including a road win over tough Atlanta last night.  The Thunder, despite the phenomenal scoring expoits of Kevin Durant, do not win games with their offense, which is, frankly, inept when the ball leaves Durant's hands.  Instead, they rely on their defense to keep them in games, but even their defense is a bit strange.  As I noted a few posts ago, the Thunder routinely give up really easy shots, yet still keep the opposing team from hitting them.  We'll have to see how the Hornets handle that curve ball.

Tonight will also be quite a test for the Hornets rookies as they face Thabo Sefolosha and Russell Westbrook, two extremely long, athletic and capable defenders.  If they can come through with solid efforts, the Hornets interior of West and Okafor should be able to complete the win for the Hornets.

Injuries

Thunder: None
Hornets: Chris Paul, Out

Positional Analysis

Continue reading »