原文出自nola.com http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1100766880326100.xml Hornets still seeking elusive first victory Suns' Stoudemire scores 38 points Thursday, November 18, 2004 By Benjamin Hochman Staff writer Amare Stoudemire had little trouble with the Hornets' defense Wednesday night, routinely plowing toward the basket, often the only obstacle in his way being an orange rim. Stoudemire tied a career high with 38 points as the Phoenix Suns defeated the winless New Orleans Hornets 95-84 at New Orleans Arena. And though his offense was impressive, it was the Hornets' defense -- again -- that contributed to Stoudemire's big night. "We didn't fight him," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, whose team fell to 0-7. "We just allowed him to go down there. (Center Jamaal Magloire) didn't do anything to really force him out. He allowed him to get deep position in the post. You do that to a great player like Amare, he's going to score. "What I call 'green' is our post-front. We did a terrible job of it. When we did push him out, and we were supposed to come down there and double-team him, he split the double team." The loss in front of 11,359 continues the team's losing streak -- its worst start in franchise history. While the Hornets did outrebound the Suns 47-33, the defense was sluggish, allowing the Suns (6-2), playing the second game of a back-to-back, to shoot 52.9 percent from the field. And Phoenix banged its way to the free-throw line for 24 attempts, and made 15. The Hornets attempted two free throws, making both. The two free throws attempted tied an NBA record and surpassed the franchise mark that was set at Milwaukee on Saturday night, when the Hornets were 3-for-3 from the line. "It's unheard of," Scott said. Playing its second game without All-Star point guard Baron Davis, the Hornets played in spurts offensively. The Hornets shot 44 percent from the field, but seldom got a big shot when needed. New Orleans was 2-for-15 on 3-point attempts, including 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter. Shooting guard David Wesley led the team with 19 points, and Darrell Armstrong, his backcourt mate, had 11 on 5-for-17 shooting. "We double-teamed and tried to make them win on taking jump shots," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "As players and as a team, we have to have more determination to fight back," Armstrong said. Suns point guard Steve Nash, who had 18 assists Tuesday night against Dallas, had 12 against the Hornets -- with four turnovers -- and scored 16 points. He kept the Phoenix offense consistently fluid, setting up jump shooters. Forward Shawn Marion finished with 23 points, shooting 9-for-16. And guard Joe Johnson was 4-for-7 for nine points. "With a point guard like Steve, the game comes a lot easier to me," said Stoudemire, who scored 34 points against Dallas on Tuesday. he second quarter has been forgettable all season for New Orleans. Against the Suns, the Hornets were outscored 24-17 in the period. For the season, the Hornets have been outscored 187-133 (26.7-19.0) in second quarters. But Stoudemire's surge in the third and fourth quarters was the difference. The Suns led 42-39 at the half, but in the third period Stoudemire was productive. The former Rookie of the Year made six of nine shots and scored 15 points. He routinely got position on Magloire in the quarter, on one play twisting around Magloire for a dunk -- all before Magloire could begin to move his feet. Scott briefly covered his face in disgust. The Hornets stuck around in the fourth quarter, cutting the Suns' lead to 80-74 with 8:30 left on a David West dunk. With six minutes left, a Wesley jumper cut the deficit to 86-78. But on the next possession Stoudemire worked his way into the lane, got by West, fumbled the basketball, snatched it back before Lee Nailon could get a hand out and rattled the rim with a dunk. Scott, again, walked away from his bench and covered his face, and then called a timeout. The Suns' lead didn't get lower than eight after that. . . . . . . . Benjamin Hochman can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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