Hornets vs. Magic Preview
ORLANDO, FL (AP) – New Orleans denied the Orlando Magic their franchise-record 10th straight win last month, a milestone the Hornets themselves reached eight victories later.
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Nothing has gone right since.
The short-handed Hornets have lost a season-high four straight and six of seven after the end of their double-digit winning streak, a skid they could have trouble ending Friday night as they visit a Magic team eager to avenge last month’s overtime defeat.
According to NBA odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGlobal.com have made the Magic -9 point spread favorites for Friday’s game against the Hornets. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 75% of more than 102 bets for this game have been placed on the Hornets +9.
Orlando (34-20) brought a nine-game winning streak into New Orleans on Jan. 12, and the Magic had momentum heading into overtime after rallying from a seven-point deficit with 1:36 remaining.
But Marcus Thornton scored seven of his 22 points in the extra five minutes to lift the Hornets (32-22) to a 92-89 victory, and they kept rolling from there. Eight more wins followed before New Orleans also blew a chance to set a franchise-record winning streak in a 102-96 loss at Sacramento on Jan. 29.
The Hornets’ only win since came at home Feb. 1 against Washington, which is 0-25 on the road. They’ve lost their last four – missing Emeka Okafor (hip) and Trevor Ariza (ankle) for the past three – and their two latest efforts were particularly ugly.
New Orleans shot 41.7 percent in a 104-92 home loss to woeful Minnesota on Monday, then fell 103-101 in overtime at New Jersey on Wednesday, a defeat Chris Paul took personally.
“I don’t care what anybody says about a bunch of different things happening over the course of the game,” said Paul, who finished with nine points, 11 assists and seven turnovers. “I feel like this was my loss. The turnovers. The decision-making down the stretch. We have to impose our will.”
Okafor’s return date is up in the air while Ariza, who spent parts of three seasons with Magic, will likely miss two or three more games.
Coach Monty Williams’ rotation is also in flux. Willie Green and Sasha Pavlovic – on a 10-day contract – started Wednesday, while Quincy Pondexter didn’t play and Marco Belinelli came off the bench for the first time.
Thornton, averaging 7.6 points, went scoreless.
“Bottom line is we need to get more production from a lot of people and right now we are not,” Williams said. “We’re not getting a lot out of our bench.”
Okafor and Ariza combined for 34 points and 18 rebounds last month against the Magic, who got little production from anyone besides Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson. Howard had 29 points and 20 rebounds while Richardson added 21 points, but the rest of the team shot 15 of 57 (26.3 percent).
Howard again led the way Wednesday in a 99-95 win at Philadelphia, but more impressive than his 30 points were how he got them. The big man hit 14 of 19 free throws after coming in as a 57.9 percent shooter from the line.
“I will maintain until I’m put in my grave that he’s capable of being a 70-percent free throw shooter,” coach Stan Van Gundy said of Howard, who went 3 of 7 from the line against the Hornets last month.
The sometimes pessimistic Van Gundy was effusive in praising his team’s effort a night after a 101-85 victory against the Clippers.
“I think it was possibly our best win of the year,” Van Gundy said. “On the road against a team that’s been playing extremely well.”
The Hornets, who allow the third-fewest points in the league at 92.5 per game, have surrendered 100 or more in seven of their last eight. They’re 25-1 when allowing 93 points or fewer and 7-21 when giving up 94 or more.
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