[外電] Hornets return to road confident
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/110542664364050.xml
Hornets return to road confident
Hope to maintain effort against Knicks
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
By John Reid
Staff writer
NEW YORK -- At no other time this season has Rodney Rogers
seen his Hornets teammates' spirits as high as they are now.
Rogers說自從他來到黃蜂，還沒有看到士氣這麼高昂過．
But for those good spirits to remain, Rogers understands
New Orleans must put an end to another streak.
要繼續保持高昂良好的氣氛，大伙兒必續繼續努力獲取勝利．
On Saturday night, the Hornets snapped a 10-game losing
stretch with a 121-117 win in overtime against the surging
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Arena.
Tonight, the Hornets (3-29) look to halt a 15-game streak
of road losses against the New York Knicks at Madison
Square Garden.
New Orleans hasn't won a road game since Nov. 22, when they
defeated the Utah Jazz 76-75 in Salt Lake City for their
first win of the season.
"Hopefully, the win we had against Sacramento will trigger
off something good," said Rogers, who has averaged 13.1
points in four games since he returned from a sprained
left knee.
"We're going to have to make sure that we're clicking on
all cylinders because Madison Square Garden is the best
arena to play at in the world, and then we have to play
the NBA champions. It's not going to be easy."
Coach Byron Scott said the Hornets will do fine if point
guard Baron Davis plays as he did against the Kings when
he scored 26 points, tied his career high with 17 assists
and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double.
Scott also hopes to see the same effort rookie J.R. Smith
gave Sacramento when he scored a season-high 23 points on
9-of-18 shooting.
The Hornets had several key contributors come off the bench
against the Kings.
Forward Bostjan Nachbar played 23 minutes and scored 14
points, and backup point guard Dan Dickau scored nine of
his 15 points in overtime against Sacramento.
"I really feel the last three games we've been playing much
better on both ends of the court, and we just want to make
sure that we keep it going," Scott said.
On the road is where the Hornets have struggled the most
this season:
-- New Orleans lost a triple-overtime 115-109 heartbreaker
to the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 23 in Oakland, Calif.
-- The Hornets lost 94-93 in overtime to the expansion
Charlotte Bobcats last month after forward P.J. Brown was
called for a reaching foul with 5.7 seconds remaining.
Emeka Okafor made both free throws, and New Orleans missed
a shot at the buzzer.
-- Last month in Sacramento, the Hornets trailed by 40 points
in the fourth quarter before losing to the Kings 107-71.
"As many times this year as we've been on the short end,
coming so close and not be able to close out, it really
felt good to beat a good team like Sacramento," Brown said.
"We're hoping to keep the enthusiasm and energy going, so
we can run off a few wins in a row on the road.
"I think, from what I've seen the other night, this team
has a lot more confidence, and our young guys are feeling
better about themselves."
One who is feeling particularly good is Smith, and he hopes
it continues throughout New Orleans' two-game trip (the
Hornets will play the defending champion Detroit Pistons
at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday night).
Smith said he has adjusted to his offensive and defensive
responsibilities, and that showed Saturday when he made
four of six 3-point attempts and scored six of the Hornets'
19 overtime points.
"I think when we hit those big shots (Saturday), it gave us
a lot more pride in what we do," Smith said. "When you're
out there, you try to make an impact on the team. I've been
staying after practice, working on my shots, and it's helped
me to feel more confident about myself."
The Hornets will face a Knicks team that's reeling from four
losses in five games and their coach, Lenny Wilkens, appears
to be on the hot seat. The Knicks don't have the firepower
of the Kings, and their best outside shooter, Jamal Crawford,
remains on the injured list with a right turf toe.
But the Hornets have not beaten the Knicks at Madison Square
Garden since the 2002-03 season, and New Orleans is 0-12
against Eastern Conference teams this season.
"It's a tough trip, New York and Detroit," Scott said. "But
we're looking to get one of these games."
--
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