Hornets Struggles Continue In Blowout Loss To Warriors
The New Orleans Hornets (22-46) recent downward spiral continued Monday night at the Hive. An inability to close out quarters, coupled with no offensive inside game a 2nd quarter dry spell, led to a 93-72 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Hornets big man Robin Lopez was thoroughly dominated by Golden State center Andrew Bogut. The Aussie finished with 8 points (4-for-6), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and a plus-24 in the +/- statistic during his time on the floor. In 22 minutes of play, Lopez scored four points (2-for-10), pulled down two rebounds, and was minus-14 in 22 +/- statistic.
In fact, Hornet scoring was a major issue for long stretches Monday night. During a stretch in the 2nd quarter, New Orleans closed the quarter shooting 2-16, and at one point, didn't score at all during a 4:58 stretch.
If not for New Orleans forward Ryan Anderson, the score could've been even worse. The sharpshooter finished with 21 on 7-19 shooting. Anthony Davis continues to perform at a high level, even in lopsided losses. Monday night, he finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Greivis Vasquez scored 14 and dished out 9 assists.
Outside of those three players, no other Hornet scored more than 4. To be blunt, it was an absolutely pathetic offensive showing by New Orleans.
"We took a lot of bad shots. We took time getting by guys," said Hornets coach Monty Williams. "We didn't establish an inside game tonight."
New Orleans needs to bounce back in a bad way. With only 14 games remaining, it's imperative that the Hornets go into the offseason with something positive.
Wednesday night they host the Boston Celtics. Tip-off is set for 7:00.