According to ESPN’s Marc Stein’s power rankings, how could you deny them No. 1? The Hornets are 11-1 in 2008 after spanking the Spurs (in San Antonio) and have won six straight games by at least 14 points. That has happened only four other times in NBA history.
The New Orleans Hornets defeated the Denver Nuggets 117-93 in front of 15,601 energetic fans Monday night in the New Orleans Arena.
The Hornets are trying to finish January with a 14-1 record. Their only loss has come against the Lakers.
The Hornets controlled most of the game with the exception of the third period where the Nuggets would outscore the Hornets 28-24.
For the rest of the game, the Hornets dominated with some solid shooting form the starters and the bench.
Nine-year veteran Forward Peja Stojakovic tallied 19 points for the game and led the team, shooting 50 percent from three-point land.
Point forward David West nailed 13 points, and CP-3 led the team with a double-double 23 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds. The rest of the wealth was spread out to West, center Tyson Chandler and the rest of the team.
As I sat watching the game from section 302, I could not help but notice how well the bench played. The bench contributed a whopping 47 points.
Center Melvin Ely saw 22 minutes of playing time and knocked down 16 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Jannero Pargo followed with some dazzling footwork, shooting 13 points with seven assists.
The pinnacle of the game came with 7:16 minutes left in the game after forward Kenyon Martin committed a personal foul on Ely. The Denver Nuggets called time out to regroup. The score was 99-76, Hornets.
As I sat in my section, I began to rise automatically in unison with the crowd. We stood on our feet and began to shout, “M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P,” it seemed like it lasted for the whole time out.
After the time out, buzzer signaled for play to resume, the vigorous crowd’s cheers and applause crashed like big waves on the walls of the auditorium.
At the five-minute mark, the show would continue with some show time razzle-dazzle and dunk work keeping the crowd entertained and wanting more.
