Just when you thought the Hornets were going to be staying home during the playoffs, they go out and get a victory over the Knicks and put themselves back in the race for the 7th and 8th spots in the West. CP3 and co. put themselves well within range for a playoff spot, but can they deliver? With a 33-40 record, the Hornets would need to go 8-1 at best to clinch a playoff spot. At this point, it seems unlikely. However, the Hornets have had four of the last five days to rest, and Byron Scott wants his first playoff birth with this team. The Bucks(25-47) are still deciding if they want to end the season with a strong run, or tank the rest of their games and try their odds in the draft lottery. Milwaukee has lost six straight and are missing their franchise man Michael Redd. With this looking like a potential easy game, the Hornets must not overlook anyone. The Bucks can be a dangerous team, even without Redd. On top of it all, Redd may return to play in this game. Season Series: New Orleans leads 1-0Key Matchup: Chris Paul Vs Maurice Williams
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Alright Hornets! It turns out, Michael Redd decided to suit up. He already has 27 points in three quarters, but the Hornets have an 87-81 advantage entering the final period. If New Orleans can hold them off, they can certainly be within striking distance of the 8th spot.
OMG!!!!! The Hornets just made three 3-pointers in a row!!! Bobby Jackson got the foul as well on the last one and the Hornets are looking to extend to a 10-0 run. They may have sealed it with 7:50 still to play.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Hornets are officially on fire! :rock: Dan Gadzuric is called for a loose ball foul and New Orleans will get the ball with 5:54 left in the game up 106-86. They've officially locked this one up. :winkglasses:
This thing is over, folks. The Hornets are now putting in their reserves. They should just run out the rest of the clock now.
119-97 with a little over a minute left to go. The Hornets are getting hot at the right time. I'll explain fully in the recap.
Recap: With a 67-56 halftime lead, the Hornets felt comfortable with a nice lead going into the second half. After the third period was played, CP3 and co. were down to a mere six point lead. Byron Scott was tired of letting games slip away. The Hornets went on to a 24-4 run in the middle of the 4th quarter and ended what had looked like a close game. The Hornets(34-40) have now won two straight and six of their last ten games. David West had another terrific game against the Bucks, scoring 24 points and grabbing six boards. West didn't have to play a single second of the 4th quarter due to the great scoring run. Tyson Chandler grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 18 points, making critics start to wonder if he could possibly be the most improved player. Michael Redd played in the contest, scoring 27 points for Milwaukee. The Bucks have dropped seven straight to reach the 25-48 mark. The Hornets travel back to Oklahoma City for Wednesday night's critical game against the Sonics. If they can win three straight, they can afford to drop Friday's game against the Suns and still make another run for the playoffs. But they must get two victorys against the Clippers and one against the Nuggets to surpass them.Leaders of the Night:HornetsD. West- 24pts 6rebT. Chandler- 18pts 20rebD. Mason- 21pts 3rebC. Paul- 8pts 14astBucksM. Redd- 27pts 5rebL. Greer- 19pts 4astR. Patterson- 10pts Player of the Game: Tyson Chandler
The Hornets need the Nuggets to lost tonight against the Lakers. Denver would drop to 36-37 and would be tied with the Clippers for the last two spots in the West. This means the Hornets could potentially reach the 7th spot. However, they're going to play either the Suns or Mavs if they make it, so it really doesn't matter.
