The Hornets took steps Wednesday to bolster their depth at shooting guard and small forward, obtaining Xavier Henry from the Memphis Grizzlies for a 2013 second-round draft choice.

New Orleans was part of a three-team trade in which the 76ers sent forward Marreese Speights to the Grizzlies.

Henry, 20, was a lottery pick (12th overall) by Memphis in the 2010 draft, but his development has been hindered by injuries. He is recovering from a second-degree right ankle sprain, including some ligament tearing, which happened at the outset of the Grizzlies’ training camp.

“I think I’ll definitely be out there in the next two weeks,” said Henry, who played at Kansas and worked out for the Hornets at the Alario Center in a predraft audition. “I have a good estimation of about 10 days maybe, but I’d say in the next two weeks I’ll be out there playing.”

Hornets Coach Monty Williams, who has expressed concerns over his team’s shooting guard performances in the absence of starter Eric Gordon the past four games, says he can see Henry sliding between two positions. Gordon returned to the starting lineup in Wedneday night’s 101-93 loss to Philadelphia.

“Xavier is a guy who, when he’s healthy, is going to play for us because he can do a number of things on the floor,” Williams said. “I told him my biggest issue with guys is defending and competing, playing hard. Offensively, he has some things you can’t really teach. He has a good feel for the game. He can shoot the ball, not to range yet, but 18 or 19 feet.

“He might be more of a three (small forward) than he is a two (shooting guard). He has got a big body (6 feet 6, 220 pounds). He can do both. I’d probably call him a wing. A guy like Eric is just a two, but Xavier might be a wing, a guy who can play both. I don’t see him ever being a guy who handles the ball and initiates offense like Eric. I’d say he’s a solid wing.”

No matter the description, Henry, who missed 33 games because of injury last season, says he’s ready.

“This seems like a great team, a lot of defense, a lot of team work, and offensively, it just lets you play,” he said. “I think I’ll fit in pretty well with the guys. I always believed myself I could play either two or three. If I just come in and work hard, work hard on defense and do everything right, I’ll have an opportunity to play.”

The Hornets rank second to last in the NBA in 3-point shooting, at 17.9 percent. Williams said aside from the obvious, there are other issues that could be eliminated by Gordon’s return.

“I still think the guys that have been playing have to make shots,” Williams said. “If you look at our film, guys are getting open looks. What’s hurting us is turnovers in timely situations. In the last two minutes of the (Utah) game, we had two turnovers out of three possessions. You can’t get shots if you’re giving it to the other team. We are missing shots.

“But I don’t want to put all that pressure on Eric. He’s got to play his normal game. (Point guard Jarrett) Jack has got to continue to produce. We may be one of the only teams in the league that may count on our point guard to score double figures every night. But it’ll help our team.”

GORDON’S BACK: Saying his bruised right knee is still not at 100 percent, Gordon nonetheless returned to the starting lineup against the Sixers and scored a team-high 22 points, although he was just 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

“It’s good to come back and finally get back with the team,” he said. “We’re still playing hard and are capable of beating those teams we lost to.”

ALL-STAR MENTIONS: While it’s unlikely, given the lack of superstar faces on the roster, that the Hornets will garner any All-Star Game support as fans vote in the starters. Nonetheless, four players appear on this year’s ballot revealed Wednesday.

Gordon, centers Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman and power forward Carl Landry are all on the Western Conference portion of the ballot.

The game will be played on Feb. 26 in Orlando.

Kaman is the only member of that group to have been selected on an All-Star team. He was a member of the Western Conference squad in 2010 as a member of the Clippers.

Since the 2007-08 season, the Hornets have had at least one All-Star representative each year, either Chris Paul or David West, both of whom are playing for different teams now.

That’s all for today.

Desperate to end a three-game losing streak, the New Orleans Hornets got needed help Wednesday night with the return of shooting guard Eric Gordon, who had missed the previous four games with a bruised right knee. But even with Gordon scoring a team-high 22 points, it wasn’t enough for the Hornets to prevent a 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in front of 12,387 at the New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets (2-4) were ineffective again in the fourth quarter as their losing streak reached four games.

This time they blew a six-point lead after turning the ball over six times and allowing 60 percent shooting (12 of 20) in the final period by the 76ers. The Hornets, who have not won since a Dec. 28 game against the Boston Celtics, were outscored 34-20 in the quarter.

In every game during the streak, they have been outscored in the fourth quarter, including 24-16 in Monday night’s 94-90 loss to the Utah Jazz.

“We have to look at film before I make a rash decision,’’ Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “I know there are some things I can do better to help our guys.’’

It was Gordon’s first game back since he made the winning shot with 4.2 seconds remaining in New Orleans’ season-opening 85-84 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 26.

Unlike his game in Phoenix, Gordon missed six of seven shots in the fourth quarter Wednesday night. He finished 8-of-22 and went 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

“We had too many lapses on defense where they hit some tough shots and we weren’t scoring offensively,’’ Gordon said. “We hurt ourselves by taking too many jump shots and not attacking the rim.’’

Gordon opened the game by hitting his first four shots, including a 3-pointer. His 11-point first quarter helped the Hornets take an early 13-point lead that eventually went to 14 before the first half ended with the Hornets leading 47-40.

Behind Gordon’s 20 points, the Hornets led 73-67 after three quarters, but they could not hold their momentum.

“I told our guys when you look back at a game like this, average teams lose, and teams that want to be good they find a way to win,’’ Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said.

Forward Thaddeus Young’s dunk spurred a 6-0 run that enabled the 76ers to surge ahead 89-83 with 4:18 remaining. Hornets guard Jarrett Jack made two free throws and a close-range shot to cut the deficit to 89-87.

However, point guard Jrue Holiday answered by hitting his third 3-pointer in the quarter that allowed 76ers to extend their lead to 98-89 with 46.7 seconds remaining. Besides Holiday scoring 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth, Philadelphia had five steals in the quarter.

“Holiday made some big plays for them down the stretch, but we should have never been in that position,’’ said Hornets backup center Chris Kaman, who scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.

John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.

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Desperate to end a three-game losing streak, the Hornets got needed help Wednesday night with the return of shooting guard Eric Gordon, who had missed the previous four games with a bruised right knee.

But even with Gordon scoring a game-high 22 points, it wasn’t enough for the Hornets to prevent a 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the New Orleans Arena.

Forward Carl Landry scored 21 points and guard Jarrett Jack had 19 for the Hornets. Guard Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 23 points and Evan Turner came off the bench to score 21.

Despite Gordon’s return, the Hornets were without starting small forward Trevor Ariza, who sat out with a strained groin that occurred in the fourth quarter in Monday’s loss to the Utah Jazz.

It was his Gordon’s first game back since he made the winning shot with 4.2 seconds left in New Orleans’ season opening 85-84 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 26.

“Its been feeling a lot better lately,’’ Gordon said before the game. “It’s been tough, three losses in a row. We’re very capable of beating all those teams. We had a couple of lapses to where maybe I could have been in the game to help the team.

“It has been frustrating but it’s also exciting to get back. It’s still sore, might be sore for a while. That’s just how it’s going to be. I just can’t have no setbacks.’’

Gordon made his first four shots, which included a 3-pointer. His 11-point first quarter helped the Hornets take an early 13-point lead that they eventually extended to 14 in the first half.

Behind Gordon, the Hornets led 73-67 after three quarters, but they lost their lead in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young’s dunk spurred a 6-0 run that enabled the 76ers to surge ahead 89-83 with 4:18 remaining. Jack made two free throws and a close-range shot to cut the deficit 89-87. But guard Holiday answered by hitting his third 3-pointer of the quarter, allowing the Sixers to retain their lead.

Even with the Gordon on the floor, the Hornets’ offense stalled from missed shots and poor ballhandling in the fourth quarter. While the 76ers kept attacking, the Hornets’ mistakes continued to mount.

The Hornets’ ragged fourth-quarter play was similar to Monday night’s 94-90 loss to the Utah Jazz in which they were outscored 24-16 in the last period, unable to provide any semblance of sustained offensive execution.

Throughout the opening three quarters Wednesday, the Hornets were able to spread the floor, and get the ball inside to Landry and Chris Kaman. During one stretch in the first half, the Hornets held a 14-4 advantage against the 76ers on points scored in the lane.

The Hornets didn’t run into problems until after leading 39-26 in the second quarter. That’s when their shooting problems resurfaced, allowing the Sixers to get back in the game. A 3-pointer by Holiday ignited a 10-2 run that cut the Hornets’ lead to five. Taking advantage of a 24-17 rebounding edge, the Hornets still went into halftime leading 47-40.

•••••••

John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.

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NEW ORLEANS — Jrue Holiday scored 14 of his 23 points in the final quarter to help spoil Eric Gordon’s return to the lineup as the Philadelphia 76ers posted a 101-93 victory over the host New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.

Evan Turner scored 21 points and Spencer Hawes added 17 points as Philadelphia finished 3-2 on its season-opening, five-game road trip.

Gordon returned from a four-game absence due to a knee injury to score 22 points but couldn’t prevent New Orleans (2-4) from losing its fourth straight game.

Philadelphia rallied from a 14-point, second-quarter deficit and trailed by six points after three quarters before turning its game up a notch and scoring 34 final-quarter points.

The 76ers used a 9-0 run to take the lead, capped by Holiday’s 3-pointer for an 89-83 lead with 4:18 to play. Holiday’s final basket gave the 76ers a 98-89 lead with 36.6 seconds remaining.

Gordon was playing in New Orleans for the first time since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the return for point guard Chris Paul. He knocked down the game-winning shot with 4.2 seconds left in the season-opening win in Phoenix but bruised his right knee in the contest.

Carl Landry scored 21 points and Jarrett Jack had 19 points and 11 assists for the Hornets.

Collins says Brand will come around: While Elton Brand hasn’t been lighting it up early this season, 76ers coach Doug Collins is not too concerned with the numbers that Brand is putting up right now.

“He’ll come around; I’m not worried about Elton,” Collins said of Brand, averaging 8.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. “With the older guys it takes a little bit longer for their legs to round into shape. So we’re hoping to get some of our bigger guys who have some age on them, a few miles, hopefully their legs will start bouncing back as we play some more of these games. But I’m not worried about EB.”

Collins pointed out that while Brand’s numbers are down — last season he averaged team highs in points (15.0), rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.31) per game — the Sixers won’t be forcing the ball into him just to get him going.

“It’s going to be the activity that gets him going,” Collins said. “We are not a team that just throws the ball out to somebody and say, ‘Go.’ He’ll get there. The main thing is that he’s going to start rounding into basketball shape. That’s the most important thing right now. And it will happen.”

CRUCIAL STRETCH

Last season, the Sixers lost nine of their first 10 road games, something not lost on Collins as the Sixers, winners of two of their four road going into Wednesday’s game, prepared to play the Hornets.

“We are the only team that hasn’t played a home game,” Collins said of the Sixers, who host Detroit in their home opener on Friday. “So if we can be 3-2 on the road with five out of the way, that would be great, because our goal is to be a winning team on the road. If you are going to have any chance to not only be a playoff team but to be a winning team in the playoffs, you have to win road games.”

The really good news for the Sixers is that after Wednesday’s game they don’t really have to be too concerned about leaving Wells Fargo Center for a while. The Sixers play 15 of their next 18 games at home.

TRADE: The 76ers traded center Marreese Speights to the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday in exchange for a pair of second-round draft choices.

The pick from the Grizzlies comes in the 2012 draft. The third team involved, the New Orleans Hornets, whom the Sixers played Wednesday night, will send a second-round pick in 2013.

The Sixers will also get a $2.72 million trade exception — the equivalent to Speights’ 2011-12 salary.

“We wish Marreese all the best as he stars a new chapter in his career with Memphis,” said Rod Thorn, Sixers president of basketball operations. “This trade will give us additional assets moving forward, including a trade exception, which will help us as we look to continue to improve our team.”

The Hornets also received second-year shooting guard Xavier Henry from the Grizzlies in the deal.

Speights, acquired by the Sixers from Florida State with the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft, did not play in any of the Sixers’ four games this season. In 205 games with the Sixers, the 6-foot-10 Speights averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds with the Sixers.

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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 5:10 PM

T-P Hornets beat reporter John Reid previews tonight’s Hornets-Philadelphia 76ers game at New Orleans Arena.

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Al Jefferson scored 22 points and Devin Harris added
19 points, including a late 3-pointer and three free throws down the stretch as
the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Hornets 94-90 on Monday night.

Josh Howard scored 13 points off the bench for the Jazz, including six
straight in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 80. C.J. Miles had 11 points
and four rebounds as the Jazz (2-3) won their second at home to offset three
blowout losses on the road.

Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 27 points for New Orleans (2-3), which
dropped its third straight. The Hornets continued to struggle from 3-point
range, making just 3 of 10 shots.

Utah trailed by as many as seven points early but had a 32-point
second-quarter, with key contributions from rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks
and took a 50-47 lead into halftime.

Rookie center Kanter scored a pair of putbacks, Derrick Favors scored off an
alley-oop from Earl Watson and Watson drew his second charge. Burks also hit his
first career 3-pointer with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half, and gave the Jazz a
41-37 lead after he battled to grab his own miss then scored on a driving layup.

Burks got a rousing round of applause when he entered the game for veteran
Raja Bell, who has struggled to find his shot this season. Bell entered the game
shooting just 29.4 percent (5 of 17) overall and 1 of 7 from 3-point range, and
missed his first two attempts Monday.

The Jazz were outrebounded in the first half but held a 28-16 advantage on
points in the paint, with Jefferson finding his touch. They also held an 8-0
advantage on the fast break.

The Hornets led 22-18 after the first quarter, making seven of their first
11 shots. Jason Smith made four straight jumpers off the bench as New Orleans
led by as many as seven early. He finished with a season-high 16.

Chris Kaman scored the Hornets’ first six points and 10 overall in the
second quarter.

New Orleans outscored Utah 11-4 to open the second half and regain the lead,
but Favors and Jefferson brought the Jazz back. Jefferson scored 12 points in
the first seven minutes of the third quarter, and added a block, while Favors
had a pair of rebounds and a block.

But Jack turned the momentum back toward the Hornets. He scored seven
straight points during a 9-0 Hornets run and New Orleans led 74-70 going into
the fourth quarter.

Jack had a late turnover and missed several key 3-pointers down the stretch.

NOTES: Utah outscored New Orleans 50-32 in the paint. … Howard was fined
$25,000 Monday for a flagrant foul in Saturday’s game against the Spurs in which
he hit James Anderson in the head. Head coach Tyrone Corbin was surprised at the
fine. “It’s unfortunate. I thought he made a basketball foul. I don’t think he
was going out to deliberately hurt the guy, but he made contact with his head,”
Corbin said. “They made it a point of emphasis the last couple of years.” …
Hornets leading scorer, guard Eric Gordon, missed his fourth straight game with
a bruised knee and remains listed as day to day. … New Orleans forward Trevor
Ariza exited in the fourth quarter with a strained groin. …The slow-starting
Jazz made only 3 of their first 11 shots Monday.

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The New Orleans Hornets play at the Utah Jazz tonight at 8 at EnergySolutions Arena (19,911). The game will be televised on CST and broadcast on 106.1-FM.

Notable: This is the second of a back-to-back for the Hornets who played Sunday night at Sacramento . . . .Utah last played on Saturday, a 104-89 loss at San Antonio. . . . This is Utah’s second home game of the season.

Utah

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG*

Gordon Hayward F 6-8 210 9.0

Paul Millsap F 6-8 253 13.3

Derrick Favors C 6-10 248 9.3

Raja Bell G 6-5 210 2.8

Devin Harris G 6-3 192 10.5

Reserves: J. Howard, F/G, 11.0, E. Kanter, C, 5.0, C. Miles, G/F, 8.5, J. Tinsley, G, 0.0, A. Jefferson, F, 14.7

Hornets

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG*

Trevor Ariza F 6-8 210 9.3

Carl Landry F 6-9 248 17.0

Emeka Okafor C 6-10 255 9.0

Marco Belinelli G 6-5 195 10.3

Jarrett Jack G 6-3 197 16.5

Reserves: G. Vasquez, G, 6.7, C. Kaman, C, 8.7, A. Aminu, F, 2.0, J. Smith, F/C, 4.7.

*Statistics through Saturday’s games.

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There was plenty of intrigue hours before the New Orleans Hornets met the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, resulting from a player-coach spat that forced Kings Coach Paul Westphal to banish starting center DeMarcus Cousins from Power Balance Pavilion.

Westphal, who indicated that Cousins had demanded a trade, calling that “just the tip of the iceberg,” told Cousins to stay at home instead of coming to the arena to play against the Hornets.

The Kings were visibly undermanned in the post and along the front line, but they nonetheless scored an emotional 96-80 victory against New Orleans as Westphal, who has a 49-115 record with the Kings in his first two seasons, desperately tried to regain control of his team’s direction.

The way Sacramento played in the second half, overcoming the Hornets’ inside advantage by increasing defensive intensity and finding shooting range, Westphal’s actions seemed well received.

“I think it’s time for this solution,” Westphal said. “You can only have so many chances, then something has to be done. It’s time that something has to be done.”

With Cousins out of the lineup, Sacramento was forced to go with undersized, 6-foot-6 Chuck Hayes in the middle, sliding 6-9 J.J. Hickson over to Hayes’ customary power forward spot.

The Hornets, with the superior size of 6-10 Emeka Okafor and 7-footers Chris Kaman and Jason Smith, dominated Sacramento on the glass, which kept New Orleans close despite another miserable shooting effort, especially in the first half.

New Orleans had a plus-12 rebounding advantage through the first half, 36-24, and had 14 offensive rebounds.

Nonetheless, Hornets Coach Monty Williams was certainly not conceding any advantages despite the void left by Cousins’ absence.

“For us, we’re in no position to do that,” Williams said. “We’re undermanned (shooting guard Eric Gordon missed his third straight game with a bruised right knee). They have young bigs over there who can step up. They’ve got (J.J.) Hickson, they’ve got (Jason) Thompson. Those guys have been chomping at the bit wanting time.

“Obviously Cousins is a big part of what they do. He is, in my opinion, one of the best bigs in the league. So when you have a situation like that, guys will want to step up and show they deserve more minutes. And we can’t allow that to mess with who we are. We have to go out there and play the Kings and not what their lineup might look like.”

Williams had good reason for his concern.

The Kings increased their defensive pressure in the second half, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on New Orleans mistakes, while heating up from the field just enough to build a substantial cushion.

Cousins has had his difficulties with Westphal since coming into the league last year as a rookie.

By Sunday, after a reported shouting match between the two following the Kings’ 114-92 loss to the Knicks, Westphal had had enough.

Sacramento players were caught off guard when they arrived at the arena to learn of Westphal’s actions.

“I think that each individual player will have a different way of looking at it,” Westphal said. “At the same time, we have a game tonight, we’re going to go play it, and we’re going keep trying to build this team with the people who want to take it in the same direction that everybody wants to go.

“I think, I hope that DeMarcus has a change of heart and joins up with full reinstatement. That’s all up to him. I hope that. This will give him the best chance to do that, and if he chooses not to do that, then we’ll be better off moving forward in the same direction. It’s just something that I think the team can use to band together, which is the most important thing for a new team.”

Certainly on Sunday night, Westphal’s message had gotten across to the rest of his team.

Sacramento battled back in the second half, building a lead of as many as 20 points while the Hornets appeared to be settling for too many outside shots and playing generally carelessly.

The Kings were led by Tyreke Evans, who had 27, while former LSU and Hornets guard Marcus Thornton put in 25 and John Salmons had 13.

For the Hornets, Kaman had 14 points and 15 rebounds, Okafor 13 and 12 and Trevor Ariza had 17 points.

Sacramento’s starting backcourt of Evans and Thornton outscored Hornets starters Jack and Belinelli 62-12.

New Orleans did not make a 3-point basket in 15 attempts, breaking a club record.

Westphal, in a statement he issued late Sunday afternoon, says he took the drastic step because of continued difficulty with Cousins.

“When a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.”

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.