Hornets.com postgame: Clippers 105, Hornets 91
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com, @Jim_Eichenhofer
Clippers (49-23), Hornets (25-47)
It was over when… Chris Paul drove into the lane and lofted up one of his patented floaters, over the outstretched arms of Anthony Davis. Paul’s bucket gave Los Angeles a 101-91 lead with 1:32 remaining. The Hornets saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, while the Clippers picked up a needed victory in their pursuit of the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. New Orleans played L.A. tough for much of the first half, but a damaging sequence in the final minute of the second quarter gave the Clippers momentum and an eight-point cushion. The Hornets dropped to 3-2 on their current seven-game homestand, which continues Friday against Miami.
Hornets MVP: Anthony Davis (19 points, 9 rebounds) picked up the in-arena honor, but Eric Gordon had one of his best games of the season, scoring 24 points against his former team. He played an aggressive offensive game throughout his 35 minutes, repeatedly driving for layups in the second half. He tallied 16 points after intermission, one of his most productive second halves of 2012-13.
Hornets Sixth Man of the Game: Brian Roberts followed up his 18-assist performance Monday with a solid shooting game. With Greivis Vasquez back in the mix after missing one game, Roberts returned to the reserve unit and had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. Vasquez dealt with foul trouble all game.
The buzz on… a historic streak coming to an end. With Miami putting together the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, many New Orleans fans were hopeful that the Heat would keep their run of success going entering Friday’s visit to Louisiana. It didn’t happen – Miami’s 27-game streak was halted tonight in Chicago. Friday’s Heat-Hornets game was still picked up by NBA TV, giving it a bit more national exposure, but it obviously won’t have the same cache. “It would’ve been a good situation,” Hornets guard Terrel Harris – a former Heat player – said of the possibility of Miami bringing its streak to the Crescent City. “But they’re still the best team in the league. It’s still a great opportunity to showcase our skills and play against some of the best players ever. It wasn’t surprising that they could get on a roll like that. Those guys are Hall of Fame players. It’s impressive that they could lock in like that, especially after a winning a championship last season.”