Game Preview: Hornets vs. Rockets 1/25/13

For the third time in the month of January alone, the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets will meet in a battle of Southwest Division rivals. Friday evening’s game in the Crescent City also marks the fourth and final time these clubs will square off in 2012-13.

Houston drew first blood on Nov. 14, holding on for a 100-96 victory on its home floor. The Rockets again prevailed in Texas on Jan. 2, by a more convincing 104-92 margin. Eric Gordon sat out that Jan. 2 game, due to it being the second contest of a back-to-back set.

In some ways, the Hornets’ second defeat to the Rockets marked a turning point in their season. After dropping to 7-25 overall on Jan. 2, the Hornets went 7-2 over their next nine games. Included among those victories was a Jan. 9 triumph over Houston in the Big Easy. New Orleans posted an 88-79 win, part of the team’s perfect 3-0 homestand during the week of Jan. 7-11.

The Hornets and Rockets have been headed in opposite directions of late. New Orleans was 8-5 overall since the return to the lineup of Gordon, the team’s leading scorer. Meanwhile, Houston’s defeat at New Orleans on Jan. 9 marked the first of seven consecutive losses for the Rockets. After beginning the season with a stellar 21-14 record, the Rockets are now 22-22.

The Hornets played one of their best defensive games of the season on Jan. 9, holding the Rockets to just 36 first-half points and only 10 in the fourth quarter. Greivis Vasquez, Jason Smith and Roger Mason were instrumental at the offensive end, pacing New Orleans with 17 points apiece.

Intriguing matchup: Shooting guard, Eric Gordon vs. James Harden
Harden has excelled individually in the three games against New Orleans this season, but Gordon only played in one of those, the Jan. 9 Hornets victory. Harden’s point totals have been 30, 31 and 25, for an average of 28.7 points. Gordon and the New Orleans defense will try to keep the crafty left-hander from penetrating into the lane, where he is adept at drawing fouls. Harden has attempted a total of 26 free throws vs. the Hornets this season.