Davis’ Return Not Enough, Hornets Fall To Wizards

The good news is New Orleans Hornets rookie Anthony Davis (pictured) returned to the lineup Tuesday night. The bad news is New Orleans lost to the only team in the NBA which hadn't won a road game, the Washington Wizards. Washington now has a road win on their season resume after beating the fleur-de-bees by the score of 77-70.

Things look good in the first half, as Ryan Anderson had 17 points and 7 rebounds after two quarters. He went ice cold in the second half, not scoring again. Greivis Vasquez struggled mightily, going 2-14 from the field, forcing the issue far too many times when there was nothing there.

A the pair of high profile rookie draft picks were the bright spot for New Orleans. Davis came off the bench (Monty Williams decision to bring him back slowly from the ankle injury after missing the last 24 days), but made an impact on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he took up plenty of paint, blocking 3 shots and swiping 3 steals. Offensively he scored 13, and was perfect (3-3) from the charity strip. He also pulled down 8 boards.

Austin Rivers started at the 2 spot, making the most of his time. While he had spacing issues, he was confident with his shot, going 5-8 from the field for 11 points. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 3 assists (including an alley-oop lob to Davis).

The game truly got away from New Orleans in the second half. When Anderson went cold, the rest of the offense seemed to sputter. Only 28 points in 24 second half minutes is a disgrace. Mental lapses by the Hornets in the second half led to New Orleans playing more like the Wizards, while making Washington (3-15) look like a good basketball team.

Tomorrow night the Hornets travel to Oklahoma City to battle the Thunder. OKC has defeated New Orleans in both of their matchups from earlier this season, outscoring the fleur-de-bees by a combined 36 points. Tip-off is set for 7:00.