Jan 27 2009
Chris Paul and the Hornets sting Sixers
For the first 24 minutes of their game against the New Orleans Hornets, the Sixers played some pretty good basketball. It was the other 24 minutes of the game that left something to be desired. Philly led 47-40 at halftime, but the second half was all about the Hornets, who out-scored the Sixers 61-39, as they cruised to a 101-86 victory. New Orleans looked like a different team in the second half. They started the third quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 50-47 lead, and led almost the entire way after that. Despite the fact that Tyson Chandler and David West were out with injuries, Nawlins essentially dominated the Sixers. You’d think that the Sixers would be able to take advantage of N.O.’s injuries, but the Hornets made up for their lack of size in the front court by sniping 14 treys. It would have been nice if Philly could have picked up this win, but whaddaya gonna do?
Chris Paul was essentially a one-man show for the Hornets, scoring a game-high 27 points to go along with 15 assists, 10 rebounds, and 7 steals. The best point guard on the planet flirted with a quadruple-double, but only wound up with a measly triple-double. In fact, Paul led the Hornets in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. Pretty good for a six-footer. Peja Stojakovic poured in 26 points on six three-pointers, while Rasual Butler and James Posey each chipped in 13 points.
For the Sixers, Thaddeus Young led the team with 22 points. The Andres continue to do it all for the team with Iguodala contributing 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block, while Miller added 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Samuel Dalembert had a decent game with 8 points, 12 boards, and 2 blocks, but he is still definitely an underachiever. While most of the bench was utterly useless, Louis Williams had a nice night with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block. The only other Sixer to score off the bench was Reggie Evans, who netted four points. Elton Brand, Royal Ivey, and Marreese Speights combined for 0 points in about 33 total minutes of game time. That’s definitely the opposite of efficient.
The Sixers stay in the Southwest Division tomorrow night when they travel to the Houston Rockets. Philly actually got the better of an undermanned Houston team about three weeks ago, but the Rockets should be at full strength for the re-match. Hopefully, another win is in the forecast for the Sixers.
Go Sixers!
