The Hornets hit the glass last night outrebounding the Clippers 51-36 and that was a huge reason for the win. David West was very solid last night with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Devin Brown also had a good night for the Hornets finishing up with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Peja Stojakovic pitched in with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals last night. The Hornets are now 4-8 on the year.

The Hornets got a glimpse of what life is going to be like without Chris Paul last night. They didn’t play any defense allowing the Hawks to shoot 54.5% last night and that just won’t get the job done. Peja Stojakovic was the lone bright spot for the Hornets last night as he led the way with 25 points and 4 rebounds. Bobby Brown had a decent game off the bench for the Hornets last night with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. Rookie SG Marcus Thornton pitched in with 12 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in only 18 minutes on the floor. The Hornets are now 3-8 on the year.

Head coach Jeff Bower (and G.M.) drafted Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton so you know that he likes those guys. That should mean more playing time for them in the near future. 22-year old Darren Collison is stepping into the starting lineup starting tonight as he is replacing the injured Chris Paul at point guard. He has played in 6 games (0 starts) so far this season and he is averaging 11.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. 22-year old shooting guard Marcus Thornton has played well this season and he is pushing for more P.T. He has played in 5 games (0 starts) so far this season for the Hornets and he is averaging 12.6 minutes, 8.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Thornton could be in the starting lineup soon at shooting guard as the Hornets have not gotten a lot of production there this season.

The Hornets will be without starting point guard Chris Paul for at least two weeks with a severely sprained left ankle. Paul has played in 10 games (all starts) this season for the Hornets and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 23.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Paul was the player the Hornets could least afford to lose on this team because he’s the guy that makes everything go. Rookie Darren Collison will likely replace Paul in the starting lineup and that’s a lot to ask of a rookie. Collison has played in 6 games (0 starts) this season for the Hornets and he is averaging 11.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He does have a nice upside but he will have a lot of pressure on him to produce right away. Veteran Bobby Brown will also likely see a bump in playing time with Paul out of action. Brown has played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Hornets so far this season and he is averaging 17.6 minutes, 7.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Hornets have to hope that Paul makes a real quick recovery.

New head coach Jeff Bower could not have been too happy with his debut. The Hornets only shot 36.7% from the floor last night and they were outrebounded 60-40 which explains the loss. The biggest news out of this game was the injury to Chris Paul that will likely keep him out of action for a couple of weeks. Rookie Marcus Thornton led the way for the Hornets last night with 20 points and 2 rebounds in only 24 minutes on the court. Fellow rookie Darren Collison also had a big game with 18 points, 2 assists and 2 steals last night. David West was tough around the basket for the Hornets with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Hornets are now 3-7 on the year.