The Hornets were outscored 29-17 in the 4th quarter last night as they choked at home losing to the Rockets.  David West led the way for the Hornets in this game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.  Marco Belinelli pitched in with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in only 15 minutes on the court.  Trevor Ariza (13 points), Carl Landry (13 points in 20 minutes) and Willie Green (10 points) also pitched in for the Hornets in this game.  The Hornets are now 35-26 on the year.

The Hornets were outrebounded 48-33 last night but they still beat the T-Wolves rather easily.  Trevor Ariza (18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots) and Chris Paul (17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists) led the way for the Hornets last night.  Jarrett Jack (13 points), Willie Green (12 points) and Emeka Okafor (10 points) also pitched in for the Hornets last night.  The Hornets are now 35-25 on the year.

The Hornets shot 51.3% from the floor last night and it was a big reason for the win.  David West (22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Chris Paul (19 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals) led the way for the Hornets last night.  Willie Green also had a solid game with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists last night.  Marco Belinelli (12 points) and Jarrett Jack (10 points) also pitched in for the Hornets last night.  The Hornets are now 34-25 on the season.

The New Orleans Hornets have acquired 27-year old forward Carl Landry from the Kings for 23-year old shooting guard Marcus Thornton and cash.  Landry played in 53 games (16 starts) for the Kings this season and he was averaging 26.5 minutes, 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He has now played in 244 games (45 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Landry has shot 54.2% from the floor in his NBA career.  The Hornets were looking to add scoring punch in the frontcout and that’s exactly what Landry brings to the table.

Marcus Thornton was stuck in Hornets’ head coach Monty Williams’ Dog House so it was just a matter of time before he was dealt.  Thornton played in 46 games (0 starts) for the Hornets this season and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He played in 119 games (17 starts) in his two years with the Hornets and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

I like this trade for the Hornets this season as Landry will help them out big time.  But down the road, the Hornets might regret this deal as Marcus Thornton has a huge upside.

The New Orleans Hornets are 33-25 on the year which has them in 3rd place in the Southwest Division, 14 games behind the San Antonio Spurs.  The Hornets are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference, 14 games behind the Spurs.  The Hornets are tied with the Trailblazers and they are 1/2 a game ahead of the Nuggets, 1.5 games ahead of the Jazz and Grizzlies.  The Hornets need to keep playing hard because if they slip up, they aren’t going to make the playoffs this year.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:  30-year old power forward David West has always been a good basketball player for the Hornets but this season he has been the best player on the Hornets.  West has played in 57 games (all starts) for the Hornets so far this year and he is averaging 35.2 minutes, 19.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  West is shooting 51.2% from the floor so far this year as he has been solid offensively and very unselfish with the basketball.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:  24-year old Marco Belinelli won the starting job at shooting guard over the summer but he just hasn’t been able to keep it.  He has played in 56 games (51 starts) for the Hornets so far this year and he is averaging 24.7 minutes, 9.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  His shooting was supposed to be his biggest asset but he’s only hitting 41.3% of his shots from the floor.  Hopefully Belinelli will adjust to his new role and help the Hornets off the bench.

The Hornets didn’t play too well defensively last night as the Trailblazers shot 52.9% from the floor but it wasn’t until the Hornets were outscored 33-20 in the 4th quarter that they lost.  David West led the way for the Hornets last night with 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.  Willie Green (24 points and 6 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals) also had nice games for the Hornets last night.  Jarrett Jack pitched in with 12 points in 31 minutes on the floor last night.  The Hornets are now 33-25 on the year.

The Hornets didn’t play any D last night as the Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor and it did them in.  David West (15 points and 7 rebounds) and Marco Belinelli (15 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes) led the way for the Hornets in this game.  Willie Green (12 points), Trevor Ariza (11 points), Chris Paul (11 points) and Jarrett Jack (11 points) also pitched in for the Hornets last night.  The Hornets are now 33-24 on the year.

The Hornets let 27-year old shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic’s 10-day contract run out without offering him another one.  He played in 4 games (1 start) for the Hornets this year and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  Pavlovic didn’t shoot a lick for the Hornets as he was 2 of 11 (18.2%) from the floor and 0 for 5 from three point range.  When Trevor Ariza returned to action that pretty much doomed Pavlovic who wasn’t playing well for the Hornets.

The Hornets were winning this game 74-72 heading into the 4th quarter before the roof caved in.  The Bulls outscored them 25-14 in the 4th quarter to finish the Hornets off last night.  The Hornets were outrebounded 47-26 last night and that certainly didn’t help things either.  Marcus Thornton led the way for the Hornets last night with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in 27 minutes on the floor.  David West was a tad soft last night finishing with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.  Chris Paul only shot 3 of 10 from the floor but he still finished up with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.  The Hornets are now 33-23 on the year.

The Hornets shut down the Magic in the 4th quarter, holding them to only 13 points which helped them prevail for a very nice road win last night.  Willie Green led the way for the Hornets last night with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  David West also had a monster game with 17 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.  Chris Paul only shot 4 of 11 from the floor but he still finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal.  Jarrett Jack (13 points), Trevor Ariza (10 points) and David Andersen (10 points) also pitched in for the Hornets last night.  The Hornets are now 33-22 on the year.