Hornets-Suns Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Dec 24 2011 4:44PM

After a tumultuous offseason, the New Orleans Hornets get to finally take the court - but without one of the best players in franchise history.

The Hornets begin an era without Chris Paul when they open the season against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

New Orleans went 46-36 last season but was eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.

With the Hornets temporarily owned by the NBA, which is trying to find a permanent local buyer by sometime in 2012, the club has struggled to win long-term commitments from any big-name players.

That even meant players on their roster, as Paul requested a trade once the NBA settled the lockout earlier this month.

A three-team deal that would have sent the star point guard to the Lakers seemed to be struck, but commissioner David Stern cited "basketball reasons" for vetoing the trade.

Less than a week later, New Orleans sent Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Chris Kaman, guard Eric Gordon, reserve forward Al-Farouq Aminu and a 2012 first-round draft pick.

The Hornets also saw the departure of forward David West to Indiana via free agency, leaving them without their top two scorers.

"I'm sure a lot of people are counting us out," forward Carl Landry said. "We've got guys that want to be good players in this league and they come and practice hard every day, and I'm sure it will have a carry-over into game situations."

Landry averaged 11.9 points with New Orleans and Sacramento last season, and returned to the Hornets through free agency with the promise of replacing West in the lineup.

Replacing Paul will be the taller task, and that seems to be falling on Jarrett Jack, who averaged 8.5 points and 2.9 assists in 70 games with the Hornets after being acquired in a deal with Toronto. That's a far cry from Paul's career averages of 18.7 points and 9.9 assists.

Jack, however, topped 20 points in his two starts when Paul was out with a concussion.

The acquisition of Gordon could ease the pressure on Jack in the backcourt.

The eighth overall pick in 2008, Gordon averaged career highs of 22.3 points and 4.4 assists with the Clippers last season but was limited to 56 games due to wrist and shoulder injuries.

"He can score in a number of ways," Jack said. "He stretches the court. When you penetrate, he gives you another shooter on the wing."

The Hornets took three of four from Phoenix in 2010-11.

The Suns were coming off a conference finals appearance before missing the playoffs at 40-42 last season, finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2003-04.

"I think we're going to be better than what people think," said Grant Hill, who re-signed with Phoenix earlier this month. "Obviously the West is extremely difficult, but we almost got in last year and I think we'll be better. We have better chemistry and continuity than we had last year.

"... Then, I think collectively there's a little bit of a mindset that we've got something to prove, that we're better than what we showed."

With a lineup led by the 39-year-old Hill and Steve Nash, 37, coach Alvin Gentry may need to rely on the depth of the roster during the compacted 66-game season caused by the lockout.

"I think it's going to be important this year that you have a deep bench because you have certain situations where you're playing five games in seven nights or six games in nine nights, where it's going to be really important to have depth where you're not burning guys out," Gentry said.

Nash averaged a league-high 11.4 assists and is the Suns' top returning scorer at 14.7 points per game, followed by Hill at 13.2.

Another challenge for Gentry is getting the team to improve defensively in order to balance its up-tempo play. The Suns again were among the worst defensive teams last season, surrendering an average of 105.9 points.

Hornets beat Suns 85-84 on Gordon's late jumper

By BOB BAUM
Posted Dec 27 2011 12:48AM

PHOENIX (AP) Eric Gordon could hardly have made a better first impression.

The high-scoring guard sank a 20-footer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds to play in his New Orleans debut to give the Hornets an 85-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns in their season opener Monday night.

"All that stuff that we've been through with a lot of changes during the offseason," Gordon said, "I just wanted this game really bad."

Gordon, who came to New Orleans in the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers, gave his team its only lead since the first two minutes of the second half.

The Hornets were without Jarrett Jack, who will replace Paul in the starting lineup. Jack served a one-game league suspension.

"We just gritted it out late," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "Obviously all the teams around the league who are playing with new guys are trying to figure things out, but I just thought we just stuck with our stuff."

Suns rookie Markieff Morris threw the ball away on Phoenix's final possession.

Gordon scored 20 points. Carl Landry added 14 and Trevor Ariza 13 for New Orleans.

Robin Lopez scored 22 points, more than he had in any game last season, for the Suns.

Steve Nash had 14 points and 12 assists but was scoreless in the final quarter.

Marcin Gortat added 13 for Phoenix.

Both teams were awful from 3-point range, the Suns going 5 of 25 and New Orleans 2 of 16.

The Hornets were within one seven times in the final seven minutes before finally breaking through with Gordon's game-winning shot.

Ariza drove the lane and was fouled by rookie Markieff Morris with 35.4 seconds to go and the Suns up 84-83, but he missed both free throws and the Suns' Jared Dudley grabbed the rebound and called time as he fell to the court. Dudley, though, missed a fading 10-footer in the lane with 16.9 seconds to go to give New Orleans its shot at the game winner.

Gordon got the ball just inside midcourt and let fly from the top of the key to put his team ahead.

"You put the ball in his hands and you tell him to go to work," Williams said.

There was plenty of time for Phoenix to respond. But after a timeout, the ball was inbounded to Morris, who tried to throw the ball to Nash, but tossed it out of bounds instead with a half-second to play.

"It was a play designed for Steve," Morris said. "They played great defense on him and I made a bad pass."

Down by as many as nine late in the first half, the Suns opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run, Nash's 21-footer putting Phoenix up 50-49 with 9:48 left in the period. After Vasquez tied it at 54-54 with a three-point play, Nash scored the next five on a driving layup through traffic and a 3-pointer, giving Phoenix a 59-54 with 6:06 to go in the quarter. The Suns led after that, until the final New Orleans shot, but never by more than six.

The Hornets led most of the first half.

Gordon's 10-foot floater capped an 8-2 spurt that put New Orleans up 41-34 with 2:10 left in the half. The run reached 14-6 when Brown's driving layup gave the Hornets their biggest lead of the half at 47-38 31.1 seconds before the break. Lopez's three-point play cut the lead to 47-41 at the half.

Lopez was bothered by a series of injuries last season that took a toll mentally as well as physically. His improved play had been noticed during training camp.

"He's looked really active and aggressive and he was big for us tonight," Nash said. "He had a really nice game. He had a struggle last year physically and mentally and to come back strong says a lot about him."

Notes: Jack was suspended for violating the league's conduct code. He pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in Georgia. ... Nash played in his 683rd game for the Suns, tied with Kevin Johnson for fourth-most in team history. ... Phoenix began a season with the same starting five that finished the previous one, the first time that's happened since the 1990-91 season. ... Gordon drew three fouls in a span of less than three minutes in the third quarter. ... Attendance was 17,776, just shy of a sellout.

Hornets-Suns notebook

By Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday December 27, 2011 12:42AM

THE FACTS: Eric Gordon nailed a jumper from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds left to pull out a dramatic 85-84 season-opening win for the visiting New Orleans Hornets over the Phoenix Suns Monday night.

The Hornets plodded to a 47-41 halftime lead, but the Suns turned the game in their favor after the break and seemed headed to a narrow win until Gordon's heroics.

Suns center Robin Lopez scored on a drive (though he missed the free throw that would have made it a 3-point play) that made it 82-79 Suns with 2:40 left.

Then Lopez nailed a 16-foot baseline jumper to put the Suns ahead, 84-81, with 1:34 left.

Gordon hit two free throws to draw the Hornets to 84-83, and -- after a miss by Steve Nash -- Trevor Ariza missed two free throws that would have put the Hornets ahead.

Then the Suns Jared Dudley, who is replacing Vince Carter as the starting off guard, missed a 12-footer. That gave the Hornets the ball back with 14.7 seconds left.

Gordon dribbled the ball up high, then stepped back and swished a 21-footer rookie Markieff Morris got the ball for the Suns, hesitated then threw it away to seal the Hornets' win.

"It was good for me to get the ball at the top of the key," Gordon said.

"We put it in his hands," victorious coach Monty Williams said. "We knew he could make something happen."

Gordon, a key to the Hornets' huge Chris Paul trade, had a team-high 20 points.

Lopez led the Suns, who shot less than 40 percent, with 21 points. Nash had 14 points and 12 assists.

QUOTABLE: "All the stuff we've been through, with all the changes in the off-season, I just wanted this game really bad."
-- Hornets' guard Gordon.

THE STAT: The Suns, who are heavily dependent on the 3-point game, shot just 5-for-25 from long range. The Hornets were no better at 2-for-16.

TURNING POINT: Gordon's big shot.

QUOTABLE II: "Holding a team like that in the 80s is huge."
-- Hornets head coach Williams.

HOT: Suns centers Lopez and Marcin Gortat combined to shoot 14-for-21.

NOT: Suns off guards Dudley and Shannon Brown combined to hit just 4-for-19.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Lopez looked like the player who helped the Suns on their unlikely drive to the Western Conference finals two seasons ago rather than the clumsy, lost big man of last year. "I just needed to give the right effort," he said.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The Suns, generally perceived as a possible borderline playoff team, fell short of a sellout of 18,422, drawing an announced crowd of 17,776.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Suns' Morris, though he made the final killer turnover, managed seven points, nine boards and two blocks in his first NBA game.

NOTABLE: Greivis Vasquez, who has been with the Hornets for only a couple of days, did a solid job in filling in most of the time for suspended point guard Jarrett Jack. Though he had five turnovers, Vasquez pitched in with 10 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Williams said, "He didn't have any fear. He's a gamer. The moment didn't bother him."

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Wednesday vs. Celtics, Friday vs. Suns and Sunday @ Sacramento. For the Suns, Wednesday vs. 76ers, Friday @ New Orleans and Saturday @ Thunder.

• Hornets: Ayon, Summers
• Suns: --

• Hornets: --
• Suns: --

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #57 Greg Willard, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr.
• Attendance: 17776
• Duration: 2:19