Magic-Hornets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 27 2012 1:20AM

It's safe to say it's been a disappointing past few days for the Orlando Magic.

It's been more than two weeks since the Western Conference-worst New Orleans Hornets tasted victory.

With both teams hoping to get back on track, the Magic visit a reeling Hornets team looking to avoid a 10th consecutive loss Friday night.

Aside from handing Indiana its first home defeat with Tuesday's 102-83 victory, it's been a week to forget for Orlando (12-6). The Magic, who the night before knocking off the Pacers set franchise lows for points and field goals (16) during an 87-56 loss at Boston, suffered another disheartening loss to the Celtics at home Thursday.

Orlando led by as many as 27 points in the first half, but got outscored 54-25 over the final 24 minutes en route to an 91-83 defeat. The fourth quarter was worst of all, as the Magic scored a franchise-worst eight points and shot 2 of 17 from the field.

"We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters," said Dwight Howard, the lone bright spot with 16 points and 16 rebounds. "We can't allow that to happen. We've got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. That's just the bottom line."

The Magic shot 38.0 percent on the night, dropping to 0-5 when shooting 40 percent or below.

"We've got to get to where we can just play the game," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I've got to find a solution to that."

A matchup with the Hornets (3-15) could help Orlando regroup. Continuing to play without shooting guard Eric Gordon (sore right knee), New Orleans ranks 28th in the league with 87.6 points per game.

The Hornets, who have been outscored by an average of 6.1 points during their nine-game skid, haven't dropped 10 in a row since Dec. 17, 2004-Jan. 7, 2005.

After suffering three straight two-point defeats, New Orleans fell 101-91 at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Jarrett Jack, averaging 20.6 points on 49.5 percent shooting over his last seven games, finished with 20 points to go along with five assists but was the only starter to score in double figures. Big man Gustavo Ayon had a career-best 16 points while fellow reserve Carl Landry added 15 and 11 rebounds.

"Obviously we would like to have (Gordon) in there but even if we had (him) in uniform, that still doesn't say automatically all our problems will be cured," Jack said. "I mean we would love to have him in uniform? Of course. But I still think even if he was here, there are still 11,13,14 players who still have to get on the court and still need to find a way to be successful."

Acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal, Gordon turned down a four-year extension Wednesday, choosing instead to become a restricted free agent after the season. He has only played two games in 2011-12, none since Jan. 4.

The Hornets have won three straight meetings with the Magic despite Howard's averaging 25.0 points and 15.6 rebounds in those contests. Howard, currently pulling down an NBA-best 15.6 boards per game, has posted 12 double-doubles in his last 13 games against New Orleans.

This is the only matchup between the Hornets and Magic this season.

Hornets end 9-game skid with 93-67 win over Magic

By BRETT MARTEL
Posted Jan 28 2012 12:12AM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Dwight Howard sat calmly in his locker and spoke softly, but with cutting tone as he ripped into his team for what he saw as a lack of effort.

"I look at guys and they don't look like they want to play," Howard said following Orlando's surprisingly lopsided 93-67 loss to a New Orleans Hornets team that came into Friday night's meeting on a nine-game skid.

"I told them at halftime, `If you don't want to play, just stay in the locker room, because it don't make sense for a team who we should beat to just demolish us."'

Howard had 28 points and 16 rebounds, but was the only player in double figures in any statistic for the Magic, who continued to slump after blowing a 27-point lead to Boston a night earlier. Starting with the third quarter against the Celtics, the Magic have now gone six straight quarters without scoring 20 points in any of them.

"It hurts to get out there and you play your hardest and you expect everybody to play the same way, and I'm not calling anybody out by no means because we all have to get better ... but if you don't want to be out there, don't dress up," Howard said. "If you don't want to play, stay home. People work too hard. I want to win a championship. I work too hard every night for anybody to not want to go out there and play hard. ...

"None of the - whatever, trade stuff - none of that stuff matters. Play basketball. That's why we all get paid to do this, because we love the game and it's basketball, so why not give it your all?"

Carl Landry led New Orleans with 17 points, while Marco Belinelli added 15 points and Jason Smith 14. Jarrett Jack added 11 points and nine assists for New Orleans, which won for only the fourth time this season against 15 losses.

"Any time you hold team like that to 67 points, you get excited about the fight and character of our team," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "I hope our fans understand this transition hasn't been easy. We have a ways to go ... but when I'm in that locker room, in those huddles and the guys are supporting one another, out there fighting for each other, the way they played tonight, it makes the prospects for the future of our organization look bright."

The Hornets won without 7-foot center Chris Kaman, who was asked to stay home while the team tries to trade him, general manager Dell Demps said.

Orlando shot only 39 percent (24 of 61) and turned the ball over 23 times, the most by any Hornets opponent this season. New Orleans converted those turnovers into 28 points.

"They killed us because they just played hard and they wanted it," Howard said. "Look at their roster, but they play hard every night. ... They kicked our butts tonight, not because they're a way better team than us, but because they play harder than us."

The Magic played most of the game without Jameer Nelson, who was limited to less than 11 minutes after taking a shot in the jaw in a collision with Jack as the Hornets guard drove to the hoop. Nelson said later he was not seriously hurt and was day to day.

The lone bright spot for the Magic was the one player who apparently would rather play elsewhere, given the constant trade speculation surrounding Orlando's star center, who memorably wore a Superman cape while winning the 2008 All-Star dunk contest in the same arena.

Howard was 9 of 14 shooting and got to the free-throw line 17 times, although he made only 10 foul shots. The rest of his team combined to go three of four from the foul line and 15 of 47 shooting (32 percent).

After starting 11-4, Orlando has lost three of four, including two losses to the Celtics, one of which ended with the Magic scoring a season-low 56 points.

"We were awful. The three worst losses I think we've had since I've been here and it's in the matter of five days. It's tough to take," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's very, very bad right now. It's a matter of energy and we don't seem to conjure that up right now."

The Hornets, by contrast, shot nearly 51 percent (41 of 81) and outrebounded Orlando 43-36 while turning the ball over a relatively low 13 times.

The Hornets led by 13 at halftime and then scored the first seven points of the third quarter, starting with Trevor Ariza's driving layup and ending with Belinelli's third of four 3-pointers in the game to give the Hornets a 54-34 lead.

The gap never got smaller than 14 points after that and climbed to 28 - the largest lead the Hornets have held in any game this season.

The Hornets took their first lead on Belinelli's 3 six minutes into the game and did not trail again. Landry's 13-foot jumper capped an 11-2 run that gave New Orleans a lead as large as nine, at 20-11, in the first quarter.

"We were making sure they didn't come out and have a ton of energy after that Boston game," Smith said. "We wanted to make sure that we came out and had the first punch and not get hit first and be clawing back and try to dig ourselves out of a hole."

Notes: The lineups of the two teams included four players born in Louisiana: Davis, Chris Duhon and Von Wafer for Orlando and Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson for New Orleans. ... Actor Will Ferrell, who is in New Orleans to film the political comedy "Dog Fight" and will be the featured celebrity guest in the Bacchus Mardi Gras parade next month, sat courtside with fellow comedian Jason Sudeikis. They were part of an announced crowd of 16,176.

Notebook: Hornets 93, Magic 67

By Larry Holder, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 27, 2012 11:02PM

THE FACTS: Forward Carl Landry came off the bench with a team-high 17 points as the New Orleans Hornets ended a nine-game losing streak as they pummeled the Orlando Magic 93-67 on Friday night in the New Orleans Arena. New Orleans was also in the midst of losing 15 of its previous 16 games before Friday night's win.

QUOTABLE: "The performance that the guys put on tonight, I just wanted to sit back and watch and applaud that. It's all the hard work we put it, it just seemed to pass tonight. We didn't plan on it having to be this long, but you have to start somewhere and tonight hopefully is our stepping stone."
-- Hornets guard Jarrett Jack

THE STAT: Two and 23. Other than center Dwight Howard, Orlando only shot two free throws as Howard went to the line 17 times hitting 10 shots. Also the Magic were quite sloppy with the basketball and they turned it over 23 times that turned into 28 Hornets points.

TURNING POINT: Following the opening tip, it was fairly apparent the Hornets were ready to exert energy to play Friday night and the Magic seemingly wanted no part in playing its fourth game in five days. Once New Orleans took the lead midway through the first quarter there was no looking back.

QUOTABLE II: "There's nothing to point to. It's the whole thing. We were awful. The three worst losses I think we've had since I've been here and it's in the matter of five days. It's tough to take. We were sitting at 11-4 and playing pretty well and all of a sudden, other than the Indiana game, we've fallen apart. ... The only thing we did tonight was dump the ball into Dwight. We had no energy coming off screens, the ball didn't move, guys didn't want to shoot the ball. It's very, very bad right now. It's a matter of energy and we don't seem to conjure that up right now."
-- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy

HOT: The Hornets, in general, played probably their best game of the season. They shot 50.6 percent from the floor, won the rebounding battle and easily won the turnover battle. Marco Belinelli had 15 points and Jason Smith added 14 points. Plus the Hornets never allowed the Magic to score more than 19 points in any quarter and held Orlando to only 15 points in per quarter in the second and fourth quarters.

NOT: Any Magic player other than Howard as he was the only Orlando player to show up Friday night. His stat line was absolutely dominant with 28 points and 16 rebounds. No other Magic player was in double figures and Orlando only shot 39.3 percent from the floor collectively.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Actors Will Ferrell and Jason Sudeikis sat courtside for Friday night's game. They are in New Orleans filming "Dog Fight."

NOTABLE: Hornets center Chris Kaman was a healthy inactive for the second consecutive game and won't play again for the team as New Orleans attempts to trade Kaman, GM Dell Demps said. "We had a conversation with Chris and expressed that the Hornets are going in a different direction," Demps said in a statement. "We mutually decided for a number of reason 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 the situation." Kaman came to New Orleans from the Clippers in the Chris Paul trade. ... Magic guard Jameer Nelson left the game in the second quarter with a jaw injury and didn't return. ... Magic forward Ryan Anderson missed Friday night's game after being kicked in the calf in Thursday night's loss against Boston. Van Gundy said Anderson's calf is sore, but should only take a couple of days to heal. Glen Davis started in Anderson's place.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Sunday vs. Indiana, Monday at Philadelphia, Wednesday vs. Washington. For the Hornets, Sunday vs. Atlanta, Monday at Miami, Wednesday vs. Phoenix.

• Magic: Anderson, Liggins
• Hornets: Gordon

• Magic: --
• Hornets: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #42 Eric Lewis, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 16176
• Duration: 2:06