I want to tell you all about how the Hornets blew the Pelicans off of the court, but I can’t. You’d think that if I told you that the Hornets scored 71 points in the first half of the game; you’d still think that I was going to go into this amazing story about how incredible the Hornets played, and how the Pelicans didn’t have a chance. Yeah, I can’t do that either.
In the first half, the Hornets really did put on an offensive clinic in the first half. They were red hot from the floor, whether it was in the paint or the 3-point line. Even the foul line was smoking a little. The problem was that with all of the offense the Hornets were playing, the defense just was not there. While we were pushing 60% in the first quarter, the Pelicans were still shooting well north of 40%. The Hornets honestly didn’t take control until the 4th quarter. That was when they finally started grabbing offensive rebounds and the defense stepped up. All 4 of the offensive rebounds came in the 4th quarter, and they came in the final half of the 4th. Perfect timing, as we needed those minutes to tick off, so second chances on that end of the court were key.
There was just no stopping Anthony Davis or Jrue Holiday. Combined, they contributed 78 of the points for the Pelicans. Holiday was having a field day from the 3-point line, hitting on 5 of 9 shots. Anthony Davis put in his 40 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block for the night. Aside from Holiday’s 38, only Douglas was the other player in double figures, with 16 points.
The Hornets, on the other hand, only had 2 players not in double figures. Al Jefferson was in foul trouble for most of the night, and he had 5, while Jeremy Lamb only had 2. The rest of the team played a very solid and smooth offensive game. They just need to up that defense.
Kemba Walker – 35 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals
Courtney Lee – 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal
Nic Batum – 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists
Marvin Williams – 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal
Cody Zeller – 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block
Jeremy Lin – 12 points and 2 rebounds
Frank Kaminsky – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block
Al Jefferson – 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block
Jeremy Lamb – 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists
So, are you wondering what we could have done differently to shut down the Pelicans so that this game wouldn’t have come down to the wire? I have my thoughts. The first one and the most obvious would be to guard Anthony Davis and Holiday closer. That’s where all the points came from. We did not get lots of shots blocked last night, but we weren’t taking hardly any mid-range shots, or getting actual foul calls on drives to the basket. Jeremy Lin was getting hammered on every drive, but no fouls were called. It reminds me of Kemba drives from past seasons. It’s just brutal to watch. Honestly, we’re lucky that Ryan Anderson wasn’t hitting 3-pointers. Had he been, I’m not so sure we would have won last night. Honestly, I don’t have a whole lot else in terms of beating the Pelicans easier, other than it was obvious that the players, not the coach, decided they were just going to go shot for shot to try and just outscore the other team. I had even suggested putting in Hansbrough in when Perkins was in, just to have a body to bang Perkins around. Kendrick Perkins, in his 14 minutes, had 2 points, 7 rebounds, an assist, and a block. It would have been easy to have Tyler in there, getting under his skin. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and that could have been 7 less rebounds than he wound up getting. I’m a writer, not a coach, so I’ll leave the game plan to the coaching staff.
But…
Speaking of Lin, he’s continuing to struggle and find his shot, and quite frankly, his game in general. The biggest thing that I am noticing is that he either drives or shoots 3s. He really needs to get back to a basic, mid-range game. When those shots fall, he can either fake that shot and drive, or take the mid-range game they give him. Once those mid-range shots start falling, the rest of his arsenal will come back. I was even shocked that in last night’s game, he had no assists. I know with Al and his post-up game, you don’t get an assist for an entry pass, but the second unit struggled, and so did Lin’s numbers. Towards the end of the game, though, Lin started scoring the ball. He never gives up looking to find a way to help the team, and his points down the stretch were very welcomed. A perfect 6-6 from the foul line is always welcomed.
Friday, we face the Pistons. Last time we faced them, it was a very positive 20-point victory where Andre Drummond had 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, and 5 fouls. His counterpart, Cody Zeller, had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. I do believe that the Hornets that will take the floor Friday are miles better than they were back on December 7th. I also believe that the Pistons will be coming at us with a vengeance. They will want that victory, as they are peering up from the 9th spot, and they want to make the playoffs. Every game from here on out, the hornets will have a huge target painted on their backs. This is the season to make noise and show the NBA what Charlotte Hornets basketball is all about. We beat the Pistons Friday, we own the tiebreaker, and we can keep them in our rear view mirror. If we lose, we have them one last time on March 25th to decide the tiebreaker. I say we settle that Friday and take the win. Who’s with me?
Let’s Go Hornets
#KeepSwarming
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