New-look Hornets make home debut versus Celtics
NEW ORLEANS — With his game-winning jumper in a long-awaited season opener at Phoenix, Eric Gordon could hardly have made a better first impression with the New Orleans Hornets.
Now, he and the revamped team will try to make a good impression with their home fans.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday in New Orleans Arena, when the Hornets face the dangerous-but-aging Boston Celtics in their home opener, they’ll give local fans their first regular-season look at an NBA-owned, NBA-supervised team that went through quite an offseason.
Five players — Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Greivis Vasquez and Carldell Johnson — made their debuts with the team during Monday’s 85-84 win at Phoenix, a game Gordon clinched when he sank a 20-footer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds left.
“All that stuff that we’ve been through with a lot of changes during the offseason,” Gordon said, “I just wanted this game really bad.”
Gordon, of course, is one of many new faces on a roster that went through an overhaul after the NBA lockout ended. He, of course, came from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade that sent superstar Chris Paul, the former face of the New Orleans franchise, out of town.
The Hornets played Monday’s season opener without point guard Jarrett Jack, who will replace Paul in the starting lineup. Jack served a one-game league suspension Monday for violating the league’s conduct code. He pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in Georgia.
Somehow, New Orleans squeaked by. Marco Bellinelli started and played 30-plus minutes; and Vasquez — acquired in a trade with Phoenix just two days before the opener — played 27 minutes and scored 10 points. He was one of six Hornets players to score in double figures.
“We just gritted it out late,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “Obviously all the teams around the league who are playing with new guys are trying to figure things out, but I just thought we just stuck with our stuff.”
Suns rookie Markieff Morris threw the ball away on Phoenix’s final possession.
Gordon scored 20 points. Carl Landry added 14 and Trevor Ariza 13 for New Orleans.
Robin Lopez scored 22 points, more than he had in any game last season, for the Suns.
Steve Nash had 14 points and 12 assists but was scoreless in the final quarter.
Marcin Gortat added 13 for Phoenix. The Hornets were within one seven times in the final seven minutes before finally breaking through with Gordon’s game-winning shot.
Ariza drove the lane and was fouled by rookie Markieff Morris with 35.4 seconds to go and the Suns up 84-83, but he missed both free throws and the Suns’ Jared Dudley grabbed the rebound and called time as he fell to the court.
Gordon got the ball just inside midcourt and let fly from the top of the key to put his team ahead. There was plenty of time for Phoenix to respond. But after a timeout, Morris, who tried to throw the ball to Nash, but tossed it out of bounds instead with a half-second to play.
Now the Hornets are ready for their home opener against the Celtics, a team that has dropped its first two games this season — including a 115-107 loss at Miami on Tuesday night.
Boston lost to the Heat despite getting 28 points from Ray Allen and 22 points and 12 assists from Rajon Rondo. Former LSU and Capitol High star Brandon Bass will make his first trip to New Orleans in a Celtics uniform. He was traded from Orlando to Boston earlier this month in exchange for former LSU star Glen Davis.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.