Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 10:38 PM

Scores 22 in first game back following injury.

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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 10:36 PM

Starting PG has double-double in fourth straight loss.

That’s all the news for today.

Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 10:34 PM

Backup had 10 points, eight rebounds in 101-93 loss.

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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 their second game of a back-to-back on the road tonight against the Utah Jazz. The Hornets lost their second consecutive game Sunday night, 96-80 to the Sacramento Kings. Follow the game live via our Twitter feed below for updates and commentary on tonight’s game.

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Posted: Sunday, January 01, 2012, 10:51 PM

Sacramento’s guards got into lane easily.

What are your opinions.

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.