NBA action: Darren Collison vs Trevor Ariza

video credit: bballfansite on youtube

Shorthanded Hornets outlast uncertain Rockets


By Larry Holder, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday February 21, 2010 11:27PM
NEW ORLEANS (NBA.com exclusive) -- The New Orleans Hornets are stuck with what they've got.

The Houston Rockets are trying to figure out what they've got.

Although the Hornets are limited in actual bodies they're playing with, they were the team with a plan in place as they knocked off the Rockets 102-94 on Sunday night at the New Orleans Arena.

With injuries to Chris Paul and Darius Songaila and a lack of confidence in much of their bench, the Hornets basically played a seven-man rotation against the Rockets, using their starting five along with Marcus Thornton and James Posey playing lengthy minutes off the bench.

The strategy paid off Sunday as the Hornets led by as many as 17 points and Houston only briefly held a lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The Rockets did make a push in the fourth quarter as New Orleans tends to allow teams to hang around, but there were no signs of tired legs on this night.

The short rotation may not be a solid game plan long term, but the Hornets' David West said there isn't much the team can do about it.

"That's it, you've just got to deal with it," West said. "You've got to play through it. This is the time of the year where you're not practicing anyone. It's just walking through and the mental stuff and every thing. You just use what you've got.

"But I think the guys are doing a good job in terms of staying together. Even when we are making mistakes out there, no one is pointing the finger at one another. We're really trying to come together as a unit. That's what's going to carry us down the stretch."

West, who scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds, understood the Rockets' current lineup flux and figured the Hornets could take advantage.

"I thought we got what we wanted in terms of positioning and good ball movement," West said. "They're a good offensive team. They have a lot of guys that are pretty talented and can move the ball. Coach (Rick) Adelman is trying to get his system in place, and we knew they were going to make a run in the second half."

Hornets rookie Darren Collison keeps making strides as he scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Collison also dished out nine assists and scaled back his turnover tendencies by giving the ball away five times against Houston.

"It's going to be tough from here on out so we need to stay consistent and continue to put pressure on teams we play against every day, especially on the home court," Collison said. "We've just got to stay consistent."

Morris Peterson added 15 points for the Hornets, while Peja Stojakovic had 14 points and Thornton scored 12.

Houston is 0-2 since the blockbuster three-team trade that sent Tracy McGrady to the Knicks and key contributor Carl Landry to the Kings, allowing the Rockets to acquire Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill and Hilton Armstrong.

Adelman said before Sunday's game that he's still working with the new and at times unknown parts acquired in the trade. It looked that way. Martin and Jeffries are the only two players Adelman is working into the rotation at this point.

Martin came back solid Sunday, scoring 13 points after a dreadful 3-for-16 performance in his first game with Houston on Saturday. Jeffries also added 11 points off the bench, but it's fairly apparent the tinkered roster remains a work in progress.

"It's like starting over," said Chase Budinger, who led the Rockets with 18 points. "We have new faces in the team and we are just trying to get used to one another. We haven't really had any practices yet. The next few days are going to be very important for us to run through our stuff, to get used to one another and start learning each other. That's all you can do."

(Former Bruin) Houston's Trevor Ariza added: "We are learning on the fly. You can definitely say that."

Ariza had 5 pts, 6 rbds, and 8 assists for the game.