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New Orleans Hornets  (5-21)

Last time out the Hornets and Pacers needed an extra time period to take care of things.  But the Pacers were able to take control of that overtime session by a score of 18-10.  Tonight, the Pacers are much better than that, and should be able to put away the Hornets.  Paul George will be the man to watch as he scored a franchise record 9 three pointers on his way to 37 points in that game.  This team is a bit more balanced now, so I don’t think he’ll get near that mark, but if he can, then the Pacers should definitely win this game.

Roy Hibbert didn’t want to be outdone in that game as well with his first career triple double. He’s seem to have found a better shooting touch, so he should be around that 10-15 points range.  Even more would be ideal, especially against Robin Lopez.  Roy Hibbert had talked about a small injury to his right hand that’s slowly getting better, which should help the shooting percentage.

This Pacers team has looked so much better in the past couple of weeks.  Before hand, with this type of game, I had that small feeling the Pacers could win, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Hornets pulled off some upset. Now with some wins under the belt, and the defense working so well, this is a game the Pacers SHOULD win.  Those were the type of games last year’s team had, and it’s a good feeling seeing that again.

June 29, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Hornets first round selection Anthony Davis during a photo shoot at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

New Orleans Hornets Off Season Recap

I’d be more interested to see what the Hornets can do next season as they’ll have cap room and spending money for 2013-2014 season.  But looking this past summer for the Hornets, they did some decent moving.  They brought in Ryan Anderson, who was the league’s Most Improved Player.  They kept around Eric Gordon, who many Pacer fans thought that the Pacers should have given a look to.  Personally, I didn’t feel this way as it would be like adding another Danny Granger to the team.  He seemed a little unhappy the Hornets didn’t offer a max deal in the first place since it took the Suns to offer something before the Hornets reeled Gordon back in.  That should be an interesting situation if Gordon isn’t content, and he’s the primary scoring option for the Hornets.  They did have a productive draft night with getting Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, two good pieces that could be the future of the team.  With no real point guard on the team, Austin Rivers might have to be the answer right now.  Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrrick were other pieces added to the Hornets this past season.

This will be a team that should be up and coming in the next years, but this year will be a long and trying one as they get their young guys up to NBA level.  Who knows how ready Anthony Davis is for the NBA grind, but I bet he’ll see plenty of action.  Eric Gordon should be happy as he’ll be the primary focus of the offense.  I don’t know where else the Hornets get some scoring from.  It’s not going to be a playoff team, so they’ll get another lottery pick to work with next summer.  But in a few years, this could be an exciting team to watch.

Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Hornets Match Up

With this being another year in the rebuilding process for the Hornets, I don’t think the Pacers should have much problems with them.  It is a good test for the Hornets to see where they are, more so for the Pacers beating the Hornets.  That will be expected for the Pacers when they play.

There could be good match ups to watch.  Roy Hibbert tangling with Anthony Davis.  Davis will be a rookie, but is known for Davis.  So can you handle the moves of Roy Hibbert in the post?

How about Austin Rivers running the point against the Pacers’ George Hill?  There’s also Eric Gordon probably be matched with Paul George.  Paul George has some length on Gordon, so he should use that to his advantage.

Both teams can get up and down the floor, so that could make the games more entertaining.  At this junction, I can’t see the Hornets giving the Pacers any issues, and think the Pacers can win the games against the Hornets by double digits if they play the way they should.

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