原文出自 nola.com http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1098426593295040.xml Hornets' bad defense leaves Scott in a huff New Orleans blows an 11-point third-quarter lead, fall to Magic Friday, October 22, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer BILOXI, MISS. -- It may be the preseason, but Hornets coach Byron Scott expects to see progress each game. On Thursday night, he didn't see enough of it, particularly on defense. That put him in a bad mood after watching the Hornets blow an 11-point third-quarter lead and lose 92-91 to the Orlando Magic in front of a crowd of 6,121 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Hornets were consistently beaten on over-the-top passes that the Magic finished with dunks. Magic shooting guard Cuttino Mobley repeatedly was left open on the perimeter and scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting. With 21.2 seconds remaining, Magic forward Tony Battie hit the winning shot from 15 feet, as the Hornets were too slow coming over to challenge. The Magic made 53.8 percent of its shots in the second half, going 11-of-15 in the third quarter. "The last couple of games we established some things, and tonight I felt we took a big step backwards," Scott said. "It's all the same things -- transition defense, individual defense and team defense. When you allow them to shoot 50 percent, you're not going to win many games. We have to do the little things better." It wasn't a good game for Hornets veteran point guard Darrell Armstrong, either. He sat alone in the locker room about 40 minutes before the game just like he did during Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat last May. Nothing was on the line this time except that Armstrong always gets up for the Magic, his former team, which did not offer a contract when he become a free agent before the 2003-04 season. On Thursday, Armstrong missed 11 of 13 shots, including six 3-point attempts. He was trying to duplicate what he did Tuesday when he made five of seven 3-pointers in scoring 17 points, matching Jamaal Magloire for team high. Armstrong was the first reserve Scott put in the game against the Magic, but he pressed to make something happen early and struggled to make shots. He missed his first three shots from behind the 3-point line. After Armstrong made his first shot, a jumper, he missed his next four attempts and ended the first half missing six of seven shots. "You've got to give them credit: They ran back at us in the second half," Armstrong said. "A lot of the shots that I missed went in and out." In the third quarter, Armstrong made his presence felt, mainly by his defensive play. He picked off two passes intended for guard Steve Francis. He also drew a charging foul on Mobley at the end of the quarter. Armstrong spent most of the second half chasing Magic rookie Jameer Nelson. One of Nelson's best plays came early in the fourth quarter when he drove past Armstrong for a dunk. Armstrong said he has nothing against the Magic other than always wanting to win against them. Only three Magic players remain on the roster when Armstrong was there. "I love playing against them," Armstrong said. "I was upset with them last year, but I don't hate their organization. Like I said, they gave me a great opportunity. But I don't like to lose against them. This is my first loss against them. I'm now 6-1." Magloire looked superb again for the third consecutive preseason game. He made seven of 10 shots and scored a team-high 16 points. Early in the game, Magloire took advantage of his experience edge to spin around several times and beat rookie Dwight Howard, the No. 1 pick in last June's draft. But Howard showed promise, making six of 10 shots for 15 points. Magic forward Grant Hill, who missed all of last season recovering from surgery on his left ankle, moved well throughout the game. He played 30 minutes and scored six points. Forward Lee Nailon started for the second consecutive game in place of George Lynch, who did not make the trip because of back spasms. Nailon made an impact early, hitting three of his first four shots as the Magic left him open on the perimeter. He finished with 12 points, and point guard Baron Davis scored 14. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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