Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009

New Orleans Hornets (3-7) at Atlanta Hawks (7-2), 7 p.m.

The Atlanta Hawks will try to stay unbeaten as the host tonight, when they kick off a four-game homestand versus the New Orleans Hornets at Philips Arena.

Atlanta has won three in a row to improve to 7-2 on the season and is coming off Friday's 97-86 victory at Boston. Joe Johnson posted 24 points and seven rebounds, while Jamal Crawford netted 18 off the bench for the Southeast Division-leading Hawks, who got 12 points and 13 boards from Al Horford.

"They had some good looks, they just didn't make them." Hawks coach Mike Woodson said of the Celtics. "We had good looks at threes and we missed some too. But I don't think that was the difference. I just thought from a defensive standpoint we finally stepped up and played a solid 48 minute game defensively, where we banged with them. Because if you don't bang, get loose balls, and rebound with them, you don't beat this team."

The Hawks, who are 3-0 at home, will also host the Blazers, Heat and Rockets on the residency.

A new coach couldn't keep the Hornets out of the loss column, as they opened the Jeff Bower era with last night's 86-78 setback to Portland at New Orleans Arena. Hornets management used an off day on Thursday to fire Byron Scott in the wake of the team's 3-6 start. Bower, the team's general manager, has been part of the Hornets' organization since 1995 but has never been a head coach on the NBA level. Scott was in his sixth season with the club and was in the final year of a two-year extension he signed in May of 2008.

Marcus Thornton led the Hornets with 20 points on Friday, and David West contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds in defeat. All-Star point guard Chris Paul had three points and eight assists, but left in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Paul is expected to miss tonight's game.

"We'll have (Darren) Collison, Bobby Brown and Devin Brown available to fully handle the [point guard] position, and we'll assess the situation as needed and move on," Bower said in regards to Paul's injury. "Its an opportunity for each one of those men to grow and step forward."

Collison had 18 points in the loss for New Orleans, which has dropped two straight and four of five games.

The Hawks won both meetings with the Hornets a year ago, but New Orleans is 6-3 in the previous nine matchups in this series. These two teams have split the last 14 encounters in Atlanta.