MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies have swapped guard Greivis Vasquez to the New Orleans Hornets for guard/forward Quincy Pondexter in a move designed to boost their depth with Darrell Arthur out for the season.

The Grizzlies announced earlier Sunday they signed Dante Cunningham after Charlotte failed to match an offer. Then they later announced the trade with New Orleans.

The 6-foot-6 Pondexter averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 33 minutes in two preseason games against Memphis. The 23-year-old averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 66 games as a rookie with New Orleans last season after being the 26th pick overall by Oklahoma City in 2010 before being traded to New Orleans.

Vasquez played in 70 games and averaged 3.6 points and 2.2 assists as a rookie with Memphis last season.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

In his preseason debut, newly acquired New Orleans Hornets center Chris Kaman made a strong first impression in Wednesday night’s preseason finale against the Memphis Grizzlies. With Emeka Okafor sitting out to rest, Kaman made a big presence inside from his scoring ability off pick-and-roll plays that helped the Hornets rout the Grizzlies 95-80 at the New Orleans Arena.

Kaman finished with 18 points and had four rebounds in 23 minutes.

The Hornets acquired Kaman, guard Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu last week in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for four-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

The trio made their much anticipated debut Wednesday and Gordon had 17 points and Aminu scored six.

It was the kind of performance to make Coach Monty Williams feel encouraged with less than a week to prepare for their season opener against Phoenix Suns.

Though they are still learning Williams’system, Kaman, Gordon and Aminu all gave glimpses of what they can become to help the Hornets.

When Jarrett Jack’s or Gordon’s drives were cut off by Grizzlies defenders, they looked frequently to Kaman, who attacked the basket for layups. Kaman started the game hitting five of his first nine shots.

Gordon delivered from the perimeter, hitting three of five shots from behind the 3-point-line. In 29 minutes, Gordon also showed he can handle ball under pressure on the perimeter and spot open shooters quickly. He had four assists and grabbed four rebounds.

Aminu was unable to provide much offensively, but he made an impact by forcing Grizzlies star Rudy Gay into taking difficult shots. At the start of the game, Gay had little trouble establishing his rhythm against small forward Quincy Pondexter, who started in place of Trevor Ariza, who sat out the game.

Gay made his first six shots before Aminu came in and forced him to miss his first attempt. Aminu, though, became overaggressive during a stretch in the first half, picking up three fouls in seven minutes. He ended the game with five fouls.

Kaman missed 50 games with an ankle injury last season for the Clippers, but he’s fully recovered now and it was evident by the way he ran floor. He was quick to cover defensively, especially on the high post and when the Hornets pushed the pace offensively, he got to spots quickly.

Rookie Lance Thomas, whom Williams said has practiced well, started ahead of Kaman. But once Kaman entered early in the first quarter, he dominated the minutes.

For this season, Williams plans to use various lineups this season that could have Kaman and Okafor on the floor together.

A priority for Williams, however, was seeing how well his team would defend a tough Grizzlies team that have proven scorers with forward Zach Randolph and Gay. But the Hornets held Memphis to only 17 points in the second quarter and just 16 in the third. For the game, the Grizzlies shot 37.8 percent.

“We’re a defense-first team and it takes talent to run the kind of defense we run,’’ Williams said.

After slow start, Pondexter got his rhythm established and finished with 14 points. Forward Jason Smith, who signed a three-year contract last week, delivered with clutch shooting and he was active around the post defensively. He made 6-of-12 shots for 12 points.

Trying to earn a roster spot, New Orleans native Carldell “Squeaky’’ Johnson didn’t score 10 points in the fourth quarter like in did in last Friday’s 97-90 preseason victory against the Grizzlies. However, Johnson made a no-look pass to Kaman in the first quarter. He finished the game with tow point and four assists. Trey Johnson, also contending for the backup spot, had four points in nine minutes.

With Chris Paul now officially a member of the Los Angeles Clippers the Hornets can move onto a new era. Their ownership and management situation is a mess, but the roster is actually in fairly good shape – especially for the future. Shooting guard Eric Gordon provides them with a go-to player offensively and center Chris Kaman is one of the league’s best inside the paint when healthy. They’ll be rooting against the Timberwolves heavily as they possess their unprotected first round pick. The Timberwolves’ struggles are almost just as important as their success. As far as their success goes, this team has had very little time to work together and will undoubtedly take a big step back this year. Down the line, though, they could rebound nicely considering they lost an All-NBA player in Paul.

5th Place, Southwest Division

- Yannis Koutroupis

If you ever have to trade a superstar, take a look at what the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Hornets have done as a model for how to proceed. Denver landed a ton of talent and made the playoffs without Carmelo Anthony, and the Hornets look really good heading into their first season without Chris Paul. Jarrett Jack is a very capable starter, Eric Gordon is an All-Star talent, Carl Landry is back, Trevor Ariza has a title to his credit and they have two starting centers in Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman. Monty Williams has plenty to work with in preparing for the 2011-12 NBA season.

4th Place – Southwest Division

- Bill Ingram

Losing Chris Paul stings, but there is some hope for this franchise moving forward, and that’s way more important than whatever finish the team may end up with this season. For the record, that finish isn’t going to be good, but there are some promising players on this roster, starting with Eric Gordon, who could be among the top two or three shooting guards in the league in a few years. Re-signing Carl Landry was fortuitous because it means the Hornets still can put together a respectable NBA starting lineup. Outside of that respectable NBA starting lineup, however, things get pretty ugly. It’s not going to be a memorable year for the Hornets, at least not in a good way, but hopefully a couple of strong picks in a great draft can help turn things around for them in 2012-2013.

5th Place, Southwest Division

- Joel Brigham

The Chris Paul era is over in New Orleans. Instead of taking the risk of losing the All-Star guard in free agency next summer, the Hornets dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers for a collection of young talent, size and draft help. But surprisingly lost in the commotion of the Paul saga was the defection of two-time All-Star forward David West to the Indiana Pacers in free agency. So instead of entering the 2012 season looking to add the final pieces to a solid duo of Paul and West, the Hornets have been thrust into rebuild mode – while still looking to find an investor to purchase the franchise. Let’s be clear, the Hornets aren’t devoid of talent by any stretch. Eric Gordon, Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman are all solid professionals who produce consistently. But without Paul and West in the lineup you can’t help but feel the Hornets’ momentum has been somewhat deflated.

4th Place, Southwest Division

- Lang Greene

After trading away Chris Paul, the New Orleans Hornets enter this season with low expectations. With that said, this is a talented team who may surprise some people. Nobody expected the Denver Nuggets to compete after trading away Carmelo Anthony last year, but they emerged as one of the best teams in the second half of the season. The Hornets will hope for similar results after dealing Paul and they may have the pieces to pull it off. A starting lineup of Jarrett Jack, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry and Chris Kaman isn’t bad, especially when you consider that they’ll have a loaded bench that features Emeka Okafor, Willie Green, Marco Belinelli, Al-Farouq Aminu, Terrico White, DaJuan Summers and Quincy Pondexter. The Hornets are in a stacked division, but they’ll be more competitive than people expect – this year and down the road.

4th Place, Southwest Division

- Alex Kennedy

The five must-see New Orleans Hornets games this season. Check out the full schedule here.

Dec. 28 vs. Boston Celtics. The regular-season home opener, nearly two months late, provides fans with perhaps the final opportunity to see the Celtics’ “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It’s unlikely Boston will be able to keep this group together beyond this year. And it will give fans the chance to see just what kind of Hornets’ roster the team will have put together in the compressed free-agency period, as well as whether New Orleans was successful in retaining Chris Paul and re-signing forward David West.

Jan. 11 vs. Oklahoma City. This will be the only opportunity for New Orleans’ fans to see the Thunder, expected by many to contend this season for the Western Conference title. Oklahoma City is led by reigning NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook, one of the most potent combinations in the league. The Thunder pushed eventual NBA champion Dallas to the brink in the conference finals last summer. OKC plays just this one game in New Orleans Arena.

Jan. 21 vs. Dallas Mavericks. The defending NBA champion, with NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, aging point guard Jason Kidd and the league’s most dynamic off-the-bench player, Jason Terry, play the first of two games against the Hornets in New Orleans, where Dallas has had recent difficulty winning. It’s uncertain whether the Mavs will have retained the rights to former Hornets center Tyson Chandler, a free agent, who was an integral part of the Mavs’ first-ever championship in beating the Miami Heat.

Feb. 8 vs. Chicago Bulls. The best player in the league – at least that’s what it said on his most valuable player trophy last year – Derrick Rose brings the Bulls here for a game that was originally scheduled as the Hornets’ regular-season opener on Nov. 2. It just takes place three months later than expected, thanks to the 149-day lockout. Rose leads a young Bulls team that is expected to seriously challenge the star-studded Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference title.

March 14 vs. Los Angeles Lakers. That’s a long time to wait for the Lakers, who eliminated the Hornets in six games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, to make their only appearance in New Orleans Arena. And less than one month later, sandwiched around the Hornets’ only game against L.A. on its home floor (not counting two against the Clippers who also play in Staples Center), the Lakers return to New Orleans on April 9.

The beginning and end of the New Orleans Hornets newly released schedule pose favorable scenarios for a fast start and a similar ending, depending, of course, upon what kind of roster the team can put together before opening night. Check out the full schedule here.

NBA schedule-makers could have been much harsher on the Hornets this season, but New Orleans gets by with just one back-to-back-to-back set of games out of possible three, while the entirety of the compressed 66-game slate released by the NBA Tuesday night looks quite similar to the original schedule made moot by the 149-day lockout.

New Orleans opens the season on the road Dec. 26 against the Phoenix Suns, as expected because the building adjacent to New Orleans Arena will be busy as the Saints play a Monday Night game against the Falcons.

Yet half of the Hornets’ games this season will take place as originally scheduled, including what becomes the regular-season home opener on Dec. 28 against the Boston Celtics.

The shortened schedule also benefits the Hornets in that they’ll play defending champion and Southwest Division foe Dallas only three times – two at home – instead of the customary four. The same holds for Houston.

New Orleans picked up one additional nationally televised game by one of the league’s cable network affiliates. In the original schedule, as well as the new one, the Hornets play the Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Feb. 17, televised by ESPN.

But the league also gave the Hornets another national game, this on TNT, at Golden State on April 24. Six other games will be televised by NBA TV, and Cox Sports Television will telecast 65 of the 66 games, the exception being that TNT game against the Warriors.

Of the 33 games on the new schedule identical to the original schedule released in July, 19 Hornets’ home games retain the same date and opponent, while the same can be said for 13 games on the road.

There was one marquee casualty from the two months lost to the lockout: New Orleans fans will not receive a visit by defending Eastern Conference champion Miami, though the Hornets play at Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh on Jan. 30.

The Knicks, originally scheduled to play the Hornets here on April 4, will not play in New Orleans Arena this year.

On the road, the Hornets will not travel to Boston, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington or Philadelphia and make only one visit against the Lakers, while Los Angeles, and new coach Mike Brown, come to New Orleans Arena twice, on March 14 and April 9.

The Hornets will play 12 Eastern Conference teams just once and three (Chicago, Charlotte and Indiana) twice.

An interesting wrinkle because of the shortened schedule – 16 games were eliminated from the customary 82-game calendar – is several back-to-back home games in New Orleans Arena including three in March, the penultimate month of the season.

The NBA is extending the regular season until April 26, with an expected start of the first round of the playoffs one week later than customary, on April 28.

New Orleans will play 10 of its first 17 and 12 of the first 19 games this season at home, including two in December (Celtics and Suns on Dec. 30) and 10 in January, a month that features four road-home back-to-backs. The Hornets were 28-13 last season in New Orleans Arena.

There are several pockets of the schedule that appear daunting.

The Hornets will play five games in eight nights away from home from Feb. 15-22 (including the only back-to-back-to-back), four games on the road in five nights Mar. 5-10, and five game in seven nights away from Mar. 26-Apr. 1.

April’s schedule could prove to be critical.

The Hornets have their longest home stand of the season, five games, from April 7-15 when teams could be jockeying for playoff position.

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

With the first 19 games on the New Orleans Hornets’ schedule already canceled because of the lockout, Coach Monty Williams admits he can’t go many places without people asking whether the season is going to be played at all. Despite not knowing what’s going to happen, the labor uncertainty hasn’t put a damper on Williams’ spirit. With two of his children beside him, Williams was jovial Thursday night while passing out turkey dinners to students who have excelled in the attendance incentive initiative of the New Orleans Recovery School District’s Emerge Program.

“I know everybody is tense about all the things that are going on, but I’m trying to find the blessing in it all and make the most of it,’’ Williams said. “There is nothing we can really say. For me, it’s not my deal. I wish I had more answers. If I had more answers, I might get fined.”

Whenever the lockout ends, Williams will practically be starting from scratch, similar to how he did last year in his first season before leading the Hornets to their first playoff appearance since 2009.

With only five players under contract, Williams might have to implement his system to a majority of unfamiliar players again.

At this point, neither Hornets General Manager Dell Demps nor Williams know whether they can re-sign forward David West, who opted out of his contract at the end of last season. They don’t know whether Hornets free agents forward Carl Landry and shooting guard Willie Green will return.

Since the lockout began July 1, all NBA coaches and general managers have not been permitted to contact players nor discuss the labor impasse through the news media. If the lockout ends, teams will be given up to a month to sign free agents and complete their roster before the season begins.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time at home with my kids, being able to go to volleyball and basketball practices,’’ Williams said. “I can stay up a little later and read more.”

Despite game cancellations, Williams and his staff have tried to stay busy by visiting a number of colleges to observe coaching staffs.

Williams said they have made visits to Tulane and LSU. Demps has visited North Carolina and Duke, and lead assistant Randy Ayers has visited Temple and several other schools on the East Coast.

“We’ve sent everybody out to bring back information to see what we can use,’’ Williams said. “It’s been really good for me because I’m still trying to get better at my craft.

“What happened last year was special, not only for me as a coach but for our players, and we want to build on that. The only way we can do that is continue to work by research and talking to people who know more.’’

Williams said he meets with his staff once a week at the Alario Center. Williams said they go through walkthroughs as a staff when they put in new plays.

“For me, it’s all about preparation and being ready when called,” Williams said.

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

It’s a crucial year for the Hornets. Chris Paul can opt out of his contract with New Orleans after this season, and it goes without saying that the franchise would be devastated if Paul left the team. Here are a few ways that the Hornets can build on their spirited first-round performance against the Lakers last season:

- Get Healthy:

After battling injuries for the better part of two regular seasons and seeing his PER drop from 30 in 08-09 to 23.75 in 09-10 and 10-11, Chris Paul used the first round of the playoffs to show everybody that when CP3 is on his game, he’s as good as anybody in the league. Paul is almost unquestionably the league’s best ballhandler and one of its best passers, and he’s turned himself into one of the league’s best outside shooters as well.

If his knees can stay healthy for a full season, he could give the Hornets a fighting chance at getting into the playoffs and winning a series or two all by himself. He’s that good.

David West is CP3?s sidekick on the court, but a torn ACL suffered late in the year kept him out of the playoffs and could cause him to miss a significant portion of this season. If Paul and West both have healthy knees coming into the playoffs, the Hornets could make some noise. If they don’t, it’s hard to envision them as serious contenders.

- Get Players:

It’s not a state secret that the Hornets’ roster is incredibly thin. Outside of Paul, Jarrett Jack, Emeka Okafor, West, and Trevor Ariza, the Hornets don’t have much, and the team desperately needs to stock the roster with some quality role players and veterans (in other words, not Marco Belinelli), who can knock down the open shots that Paul creates and play some defense.

- Stay Defensive:

The secret of the Hornets’ return to the playoffs was their improved defense. Under Monty Williams, the Hornets were a top-10 team in defensive efficiency last season. If the Hornets can maintain their commitment to defense and become the best defensive team in the Western conference (only the Lakers and Mavericks had a higher defensive efficiency in the West than the Hornets did last season), and simply let a healthy CP3 do his thing on offense, they could end up being a very tough out in the playoffs.

All or part of it might never come to pass, but the New Orleans Hornets’ 2011-12 schedule released by the NBA on Tuesday is rich with extended trips, as well as attractive early home games that could also be lost should games be canceled.

The Hornets are tentatively scheduled to open at home Nov. 2 against the Chicago Bulls and reigning league MVP Derrick Rose, then host the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat with its big three of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James on Nov. 9 at the New Orleans Arena.

Both those games could be in jeopardy, however, if history repeats from the last NBA lockout that erased 32 games of the 1998-99 regular season, which didn’t begin until February 1999.

Home games against the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks (Dec. 21) and Boston Celtics (Dec. 28) also are tenuous.

Three of New Orleans’ four games scheduled against the Mavericks are in the first half of the season, the part of the year most likely to be wiped out, based on past history.

If that holds true, the Hornets would lose six home games against Western Conference playoff teams of a year ago, and six home games against last season’s Eastern Conference playoff participants.

New Orleans could also lose one of its two scheduled nationally televised games if the first part of the schedule is lost. The Hornets are on the TNT schedule Thanksgiving night for a game at the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as the ESPN broadcast slate for a Feb. 17 game at the New York Knicks.

Six Hornets games are scheduled for telecast by NBA TV. More could be added, if the season is played, because of the flexibility the league employs in its national TV scheduling, especially later in the season.

The Hornets also are scheduled for a four-game-in-five-night trip Feb. 15-22 (at Cleveland, New York, Indiana and Dallas), just before the tentative All-Star break, another four-in-five trip from March 5-10 (at Portland, Sacramento, Denver and Minnesota), and a four-game-in-seven-night trip March 26-April 1 (at the Clippers, Golden State, Portland and Phoenix).

If the lockout eliminates games through January, as the last did (the 1999 season began that year for the Hornets on Feb. 5) there are 41 games — half the regular season — scheduled from Feb. 1 until the end of the season in 2012, 19 at New Orleans Arena, 22 on the road.

Should the schedule be played in its entirety — which appears unlikely given that no collective bargaining sessions have been held since the work stoppage commenced July 1 — the Hornets would have several extended road swings, the first of which is a five-game in nine-day trip to the West Coast, including that TV game against the Clippers.

New Orleans would follow that up with another six games away from home in the first three weeks of December.

From a positive standpoint, the regular-season’s two home games against the Los Angeles Lakers (March 14 and April 9) are each in the second half of the season, which could be salvaged based on previous lockout history.

The Hornets are only scheduled to play at the Lakers once, on Nov. 6.

New Orleans has 14 games against Western Conference playoff teams from last season in the final 41 — seven at home, seven away. The Hornets are scheduled to play seven games against Eastern Conference playoff teams from last season, five of those on the road.

The schedule has the Hornets playing three Western Conference foes three times: Phoenix (two road, one home), the Lakers (two home, one road) and Utah (two home, one road).

Don’t etch plans in stone, though. It’s likely should part of the season be lost because of labor unrest, the league will revise much of the schedule that was released Tuesday.

The NBA on Thursday announced NBA Development League affiliates for the coming season, placing the New Orleans Hornets with the Iowa Energy, based in Des Moines.

New Orleans’ previous D-League affiliate, the New Mexico Thunderbirds, was purchased by the Cleveland Cavaliers and relocated to Canton, Ohio.

The Energy is the current league champion. Also affiliated with the Energy this season will be the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

In response to Jimmy Smith’s article on New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams, nola.com reader babyboi5 wrote:

“Even though my prediction of the Hornets winning the championship this season fell short, I am very proud of what they accomplished. This team battle through adversity and obstacles all season long and still made it to the playoffs. Yeah, we came up short, but that’s ok. SETBACKS are SETUPS for COMEBACKS. I believe we’ll come back stronger next season.

Looking at the roster we had this season, our coaching staff did a WONDERFUL job with our players. Now, it’s time to reload and get more firepower on offense and more size on defense. Coach Williams and GM Demps must upgrade the SG position. A lot of people might think it’s impossible to bring back Marcus Thornton, but I don’t. He’s a restricted FA-all we have to do is sign him to a nice contract and see if Sacramento will try to match it. Thornton didn’t want to leave the Hornets and I believe his heart is still w/the Hornets. Coach Williams, GM Demps, CP3, and maybe David West need to reach out to Thornton and sell him on the idea of being our starting 2 guard.

Also, need to re-sign Carl Landry (w/o Landry on this team, Hornets don’t make the playoffs or beat the Lakers in Games 1 & 4). Re-sign Willie Green as well-Willie did a nice job for us. Not a starter, but a nice role player for us. I hope in the offseason Quincy Pondexter polishes up his game in the offseason so he can be another scorer coming off the bench.

As far as free agents will need to go after, a lot of people want us to go after Tyson Chandler. I’m not too optimistic that we can outspend Mark Cuban to bring him back. Unless Chandler wants to take less money, I don’t see it as a strong possibility that we’ll see TC as a Hornet again. I think we need to focus our efforts on looking at

Greg Oden (yes, I said Greg Oden)
Samuel Dalembert
Al Thornton
Ryan Hollins (reminds me of a young Tyson Chandler)
Nazr Mohammed
Jamal Crawford
Troy Murphy
Jason Kapono
Nick Young
and don’t forget, Marcus Thornton

Those names aren’t big, but they are enough for what we need. We don’t need to break the bank this offseason, especially with the 2012 offseason list of FAs. We need a solid, legit SG (M. Thornton, Young, or Crawford), another PF (Murphy, Dalembert) & C (Oden, Hollins), and a 3pt specialist (Kapono). We get those guys and I see the Hornets going far.”

There are no tricks to conjure, no secret weapons to unveil.

We all know how tonight has to play out for the New Orleans Hornets to live to fight another day in this series.

If they are to do for the third time in the playoffs what they couldn’t accomplish a single time during the regular season, and even the series to earn a trip back to Los Angeles for a deciding Game 7 on Saturday, then New Orleans is going to have to open a gash on the Lakers tonight and keep pounding away.

If they are to add another jolt to the biggest shocker in the first round this season, and make the Lakers win another game in order to have a chance to three-peat, it’s an absolute necessity that they swarm and scrap the way they’ve shown they can, and refuse to back up or back down.

Otherwise, the season ends tonight.

Simply, when the Hornets have won games in the series, it has been because they’ve have been the aggressor throughout.

When they haven’t — when they’ve been pushed around, attributable to the Lakers’ force or their own timidity — they’ve been on the receiving end of three losses, two of them decisive.

When they’ve treated the basketball like it was a string of beads on Fat Tuesday, recklessly tossing it around as if replacement possessions would be lavished upon them by the similarly reveling Lakers, they’ve found themselves looking up at sober Los Angeles on the court and on the scoreboard.

Strike first, or be struck.

Strike continuously, or be pummeled.

“We’re definitely not just going to let them come into our house and push us around,” forward Carl Landry said after Tuesday’s loss. “That’s not happening.” It can’t, or the Hornets will be nothing more than a footnote.

The record book won’t say much about the Hornets being game and pushing the Lakers hard and extending the series farther than almost anyone expected they could have. The ledger simply would say the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 4-2 series win, and the Hornets lost in the first round in consecutive playoff appearances.

And even Hornets fans will know that, though New Orleans exhibited more high-level fight during the series than it did at any point during the regular season considering the opposition, the Lakers ultimately prevailed because they forced the Hornets to go home.

But they’ll also know that during the games in which the Hornets were the go-getters, they went and got it.

“There was more (Lakers’) focus to be physical” Tuesday night, Coach Monty Williams said. “It’s one of those things we have to recognize and withstand.” It’s one of those things that shouldn’t have had to be recognized and withstood after four games had been played, because the blueprint to success in the series already had been established.

The recipient of the first split lip might survive. But he only did so if the deliverer stopped delivering.

New Orleans sprinted to a 32-23 lead after the first quarter and then acted like it forgot how to play the game against the Lakers. Los Angeles won the second quarter 31-19, won the third 25-21 and finished off with a 27-18 kick in the fourth.

“I just felt like we stopped being aggressive,” Trevor Ariza said. “But give them credit, they played defense. If we want to have a chance, we have to take care of the ball.”

True, taking care of the ball is huge. The Hornets turned over the ball only three and 10 times in their wins; 16, 14 and 17 times in their losses.

But in the losses they also were on the receiving end of the forearms, nudges and hip checks. And in the playoffs, and this series, it has been much better to give, than to receive, the punches.

We know how tonight has to play out if the Hornets are going to make another trip to L.A. for the series finale.

There won’t be a Game 7 unless they force it.

LOS ANGELES — Amazingly, one game into the first round of the Western Conference playoffs between the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers, no one has yet offered the time-worn maxim “a series doesn’t begin until someone wins a game on the road.”

Consider this series well under way.

If the Hornets didn’t have the Lakers’ attention coming into Sunday afternoon’s first game in Staples Center — Los Angeles Coach Phil Jackson trotted out his own time-worn excuse about his team’s inability to play well in early starts — New Orleans’ stunning 109-100 victory certainly opened the Lakers’ eyes.

Yet, the relative ease in which the prohibitive underdog Hornets handled the Lakers on their home court could open the door for complacency, especially for a team comprised of mostly postseason newcomers up and down the bench, including the man occupying the first chair, Coach Monty Williams.

But veteran guard Chris Paul’s competitive nature likely won’t allow for a letdown in Game 2 tonight.

“One game. One game,” Paul said of Sunday’s already-in-the-rear-view-mirror triumph. “We’ve been in the playoffs before, so we understand that that’s all it is.”

Paul, among others, is speaking in cautionary tones about the value of Sunday’s victory in the big picture, and what stealing another win here tonight might mean for the Hornets.

“It would mean a lot,” Paul said, “but we’re just gong to take it one day at a time right now and not get ahead of ourselves and understand that (tonight) is just as important as (Sunday) was.”

And Williams, who this season has dealt with frustrating droughts that followed a season-opening eight-game winning streak and a pre-All-Star break 10-game wining streak, said Tuesday he took immediate steps within his coaching staff and with the players to stem any degree of self-satisfaction that might have been blossoming after Sunday’s Game 1 win.

“We talked about it as soon as the game was over with,” Williams said Tuesday. “For us, winning Game 1 against a team like the Lakers is like getting a first down in football. The game is a long way from being over. We’ve got a lot more to do, and we didn’t dwell on it. As a staff, and as a unit, we’ve talked about the first quarter of Game 2, and that’s as far as we’re going to go with it. Internally, with the staff, that’s what I talked about. It’s only a first down for us. You’re playing against the champs, and you can’t take anything for granted.”

And his message to the players?

“One step,” said Williams. “You’ve done something you haven’t done all year long, which is beat the Lakers. But we’ve got to do what we did better, execute better, and understand that this situation only comes along once in a lifetime. You’ve got to relish it.”

Hornets forward Trevor Ariza, whose lock-down defense of former teammate Kobe Bryant on Sunday kept Bryant scoreless in the game’s last 6 1/2 minutes, said he knew exactly the mood at the Lakers’ El Segundo practice facility the past two days.

“They’re not rattled at all,” said Ariza, a member of Los Angeles’ championship team during the 2008-09 season. “They’re focused and gearing up to play against us on Wednesday. It’s going to be a different game, not the same. But I think everybody here is pretty much ready. They want to play. They want to contribute. We all just want to do our part to help our team win.”

There is, Ariza emphasized, no room for smugness.

“We don’t play this game just to win one game or keep it a series,” he said. “We play this game to move on to the next and try to win a championship.”

To that end, Williams has continued to hammer home the Hornets’ status as not just underdogs in this series, but the national perception that New Orleans has no business expecting any measure of success against a team that has won back-to-back NBA titles and defeated the Hornets four times in the regular season.

“We’ve had these great events throughout the season, with the streaks, and beating teams most people thought we’d get smashed by,” Williams said. “We’ve been in this situation before. Now, we haven’t done it against the Lakers.

“But we’re used to being in situations where people thought we’d get smacked. And we come out fighting. And we get a good result. I think we’ve learned from that, and I also believe that we won one game. The guys understand that. It’s a long series. We don’t have enough experience to know what we’ve done. So we’ve got to continue to do the things that have helped us have success this year.”

And if Hornets players need to hear it from a voice other than Williams, he said, all they need do is gauge the perceptions of others, Sunday’s Game 1 victory notwithstanding.

“It hasn’t changed for us,” Williams said. “Nobody has given us a chance all year long. So I’ve pushed that point all year. ‘You haven’t done anything. People still expect you to get smacked. They still expect a sweep from here.’ If you think otherwise, you’re in for a rude awakening.

“All you’ve got to do is turn on NBA TV, ESPN, XYZ, and everybody is talking about what’s going to be done to us. Nothing has changed in my book.”

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

EL SEGUNDO, CAL. — As stunning as the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 1 loss to the New Orleans Hornets was, ending Lakers fans’ assumption of a first-round playoff sweep, reality has sunk in. Hornets point guard Chris Paul gave the Lakers’ backcourt a major headache in Sunday’s 109-100 victory, and the dilemma that faces the Lakers now is how to prevent Paul from creating similar havoc Wednesday in Game 2.

Two days of practice and perhaps a tweaking of the defensive game plan will reveal whether the Lakers have a solution. Because anything similar to Paul’s Game 1 line of 33 points, 14 assists and only two turnovers will cause serious jeopardy for the Lakers, who hope to gain a split of the two games here, before the playoff series shifts to New Orleans for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

The problem the Lakers face is how to defend the Hornets’ pick-and-roll game, and keep Paul out of the lane. Because once the Hornets’ floor general penetrates the lane, he has a bevy of options — dropping a pass to an open teammate when the Lakers slide a help-side defender over, pulling up and taking the shot if the help comes over late or not at all, or driving to the basket.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant described the defensive assignment his team faces as a huge challenge.

“(Paul’s) tough,’’ Bryant said. “He’s a great player. We’ll have to do a much better job on him than we did in Game 1.’’

One of the prime recipients of Paul’s forays into the lane was backup center Aaron Gray, who made all of his five shots in scoring 12 points. But Gray’s availability likely will be a game-time decision after he sprained an ankle in Sunday’s victory.

In regard to snaring Paul, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, “We have to be more attentive.’’

That’s easier said than done, because the Lakers do not have anyone on their playoff roster who can match up with Paul one-on-one. Quick point guards have given the Lakers problems over recent years, most notably Boston’s Rajon Rondo, who was a menace when the Celtics beat the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, and last year, when the Lakers outlasted the Celtics in a lively, seven-game Finals.

Paul is similar to Rondo in a number of ways and has one asset the Celtics’ guard does not possess: Paul can make a jump shot on a consistent basis. So what are the Lakers going to do?

“There are a lot of things that we can do, but we have to do them,’’ said guard Derek Fisher, who had problems trying to contain Paul in Game 1. “There aren’t any new things or any secrets. We just have to do what we’ve practiced and do the job that we’ve done on other quick guards throughout the season. We’ve played some great defense in a lot of stretches this season. But it’s a five-man job. We were poor in that area last Sunday. We have to be a lot better.’’

Plenty of kudos: Jackson and Lakers players were enthusiastic in their response to forward Lamar Odom winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Odom, who appeared in all 82 regular-season games — 47 off the bench — averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and three assists.

Odom got 96 of the 117 first-place votes from the media that regularly cover the league, outdistancing Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry, who was the runner-up for the second consecutive year.

“(Odom) deserves it,’’ Jackson said. “It is good recognition for a player who has really filled a role for us the last couple of years.’’

Bryant also said the award was deserved, pointing out that Odom played a vital role this season in the Lakers’ success.

Bryant’s backcourt mate, Fisher, talked about the intangibles Odom brings that only Lakers insiders could appreciate.

“His personality … his energy that he brings to our team and just his presence, he’s a fun guy,’’ Fisher said. “He enjoys laughing, having a good time and really enjoying the day-to-day grind that comes with this job. There are a lot of days that without him, most guys would feel like they’re going to work, as opposed to playing a game. That’s how important he is to our team, regardless of what his stats are.’’

Rotation switch: Although late-season signee Trey Johnson played well in a limited role in Game 1, Jackson is expected to go back to guard Steve Blake when the Lakers’ second unit gets the call. Blake missed Game 1 and the last two regular-season games because of the chickenpox but has been cleared to play.

LOS ANGELES – The New Orleans Hornets were expected to be overmatched and unable to handle the Los Angeles Lakers’ size advantage or Kobe Bryant’s scoring in their first-round playoff series. 

But it was the Lakers who were  overmatched that led to a stunning Hornets’ 109-100 victory in Game 1 at the Staples Center. Point guard Chris Paul blitzed the Lakers for a team-high 33 points and had 14 assists and seven rebounds.

Game 2 is Wednesday at the Staples Center. The Lakers won the season series against the Hornets 4-0. But Sunday, the Hornets outscored the Lakers 52-34 in the lane and closed out the game shooting 51.9 percent.

 FOURTH QUARTER

What a remarkable performance by Aaron Gray today. He has made all five shots, scoring 11 points. Just drove the middle for a layup to extend the Hornets’ lead to 81-76 with 9:19 remaining. Kobe Bryant’s 3-pointer with 6:31 remaining cuts the Hornets’ lead to 87-85. But Carl Landry and makes to free throws to keep the Hornets leading 89-85 with 6:13 remaining. Chris Paul made consecutive jumpers to extend the Hornets’ lead to 94-87 with 4:24 remaining. Jarrett Jack just made bank shot to extend the Hornets’ lead to 98-92 with 2:23 remaining. Chris Paul just beat Derek Fisher again on a crossover dribble. Aaron Gray goes down holding his right ankle. He finishes making all five shots for 12  points. 

THIRD QUARTER

Two free throws by Kobe Bryant’s ties the score at 65 with three minutes remaining. But Jason Smith answers with a basket. The Hornets are no longer cutting to get open like they did in the first half. Lakers forward Pau Gasol cannot get anything going against the Hornets. He started the quarter with a missed runner in the lane. Gasol has missed seven of eight shots. Trevor Ariza throws elbow in Pau Gasol and gets called for a flagrant foul. Hornets missed their first five shots to open the quarter, allowing the Lakers to go on a 7-0 run that cut the deficit to 55-54. Carl Landry has really attacked the Lakers inside, hitting 6-of-9 shots for 13 points. The Hornets have outscored the Lakers 32-20 in the lane.  Chris Paul’s crossover move left Lakers guard Derek Fisher falling to the floor.    

SECOND QUARTER

The Hornets held the Lakers to 35 percent shooting in the second quarter. The Hornets led by as much as 12. Guard Jarrett Jack came off the bench and led the Hornets with seven points, hitting all three shots. The Hornets made 12 of 19 shots in the quarter. The Hornets forced the Lakers to play at their pace. They continue to attack the rim and spread the floor. Paul had eight assists after the opening quarter. The Hornets’ bigs are playing well. Seldom used backup center D.J. Mbenga, who played for the Lakers last season,  just made an open jumper at the top of the key. The Hornets have opened the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 33-24 lead, the largest of the game. Lakers start quarter missing their first four shot attempts. Kobe Bryant is 4-of-7 for the game with nine points. After 13 minutes, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are a combined 2-of-5 from the field. Emeka Okafor draws his third foul after not keeping his feet his set trying to stop Lamar Odom breakaway drive through the middle. Crowd at the Staples Center stunned, even actor Jack Nicholson is skaking his head in disgust. With 54.1 remaining, the Lakers have scored only 16 points in the quarter. Bryant injured his neck after landing hard after a missed 3-point attempt at the end of the quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

Just as Coach Monty Williams desired, the Hornets came out and delivered the first blow. They made six of their first eight shots and forced the Lakers to miss five of their first six to take a 12-4 lead before closing the quarter leading 26-24. The Hornets made 12-of-22 shots and finished even with 12 points scored in the paint. Early, the Lakers woke up and are now on 9-0 run to take 13-12 lead. Emeka Okafor gets second foul, which forces Williams to go to his bench and use Aaron Gray. The Hornets continues to drove to the basket despite going on a stretch of missing five straight shots, Chris Paul ended the drought with a layup before Marco Belinelli made a 3-pointer. The Hornets have come out assertive and they are defending well. Belinelli continues to make big shots s

PREGAME NOTES

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ 4-0 season sweep of the New Orleans Hornets, their average margin of victory was 10.8 points. It was the first time the Lakers swept the Hornets in the season series since 2004-05.

No NBA team has been swept in a regular-season series longer than two games and then beaten that team in the postseason since 1998 when the then Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson is 15-0 in postseason home openers.

Hornets’ Emeka Okafor, Marco Belinelli and Jarrett Jack will be making their playoff debuts. . . .The Hornets ended the regular season ranked fifth in points allowed 94.0 points a game. The Lakers ended as the ninth highest scoring team in the league, averaging 101.4 points.

In the Lakers’ 4-0 season sweep of the Hornets, their average margin of victory was 10.8. It was the first time the Lakers swept the Hornets in the season series since 2004-05.

Hornets Coach Monty Williams is urging his players to attack first by pushing the tempo and defending hard. .  . .Despite suffering a bone bruise in his right knee, Lakers center Andrew Bynum is expected to start.

    

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