New Orleans Hornets Wiretap

RGM Rundown For March 30th: Toronto's Struggles

The Toronto Raptors lost to the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night, further sliding down in the weak Eastern Conference. The Raptors only have a half-game lead over the 76ers for the sixth seed with just a few weeks left in the regular season. Read about Toronto’s struggles and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 30th’s games!

- SAS 109, HOU 88

The San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Houston Rockets in a big way on Sunday night. Tony Parker and Michael Finley both notched 22 points and 6 rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 53% from the floor and outrebounded Houston by five. Luis Scola starred with 24 points and 7 rebounds, and Tracy McGrady added 13 points, 6 assists, and 5 boards for the Rockets, who hit just 40% of their shots and turned the ball over just six times. Manu Ginobili tallied 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in the victory while Kurt Thomas added 10 points and 7 boards for the Spurs, who moved into a tie with the Hornets for first place in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores Tony Parker, SAS – 18.3 Manu Ginobili, SAS – 16.0 Luis Scola, HOU – 14.8 Fabricio Oberto, SAS – 14.3

- MIN 110, UTA 103

The Minnesota Timberwolves outscored the Utah Jazz by eight points last night en route to a tough road win. Al Jefferson had 22 points and 8 rebounds, and Corey Brewer added 16 points and 7 boards for the Wolves, who shot 53% from the floor and scored 20 points off turnovers. Carlos Boozer starred for the Jazz with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 15 points and 13 assists in the loss. Utah still has a 2.5 game lead over the Nuggets for the lead in the Northwest Division, but they dropped to 16-22 on the road this season.

Game FIC Scores Carlos Boozer, UTA – 17.6 Ronnie Brewer, UTA – 16.0 Corey Brewer, MIN – 14.3 Deron Williams, UTA – 14.0

- ATL 114, NYK 109

The Atlanta Hawks improved their playoff hopes with a tight win over the New York Knicks on Sunday night. Marvin Williams had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Al Horford posted 18 points and 13 boards for the Hawks, who shot 51% on the night and outrebounded New York by ten. Jamal Crawford exploded with 39 points and 8 assists, and David Lee added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who scored 14 points off turnovers and fell to 20-53 on the year. Joe Johnson, Atlanta’s all-star representative, notched 25 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

Game FIC Scores Marvin Williams, ATL – 24.4 Jamal Crawford, NYK – 24.4 Joe Johnson, ATL – 20.8 Al Horford, ATL – 19.1

- BOS 88, MIA 62

The Boston Celtics used a 32-13 first quarter advantage to defeat the Miami Heat last night. Leon Powe had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the Celtics, who outrebounded Miami by twenty-three and forced nineteen turnovers. Chris Quinn had 14 points and 8 assists for the Heat while Ricky Davis posted 14 points and 6 rebounds in the blowout loss. Miami shot just 26% from the field, including a 4-for-19 performance from behind the three-point line. Boston has a firm grasp on the league’s best record while Miami has been the NBA’s worst team for a majority of the season.

Game FIC Scores Kevin Garnett, BOS – 16.8 Chris Quinn, MIA – 11.5 Leon Powe, BOS – 11.3 Rajon Rondo, BOS – 9.5

- CLE 91, PHI 88

LeBron James made a layup with twenty-four seconds left on Sunday afternoon to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Philadelphia 76ers. James finished the game with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, and Delonte West added 18 points, 11 dimes, and 6 boards for the Cavs, who shot 45% and outrebounded Philly by seven. Andre Iguodala starred with 19 points and 5 rebounds, and Andre Miller tallied 16 points and 9 assists for the Sixers, who where 3-for-13 from behind the three-point line and are still a half-game behind Toronto for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Game FIC Scores LeBron James, CLE – 28.9 Delonte West, CLE – 22.0 Andre Miller, PHI – 19.8 Samuel Dalembert, PHI – 13.5

- NOH 118, TOR 111

Despite a huge fourth-quarter run by the Toronto Raptors, the New Orleans Hornets came out victorious last night. David West had 32 points and 7 rebounds, and Chris Paul posted 20 points, 16 assists, and 6 boards for the Hornets, who hit 60% of their shots and took great care of the basketball. Chris Bosh led the Raptors with 21 points and 7 rebounds, and Jose Calderon contributed 10 points and 11 assists off the bench in the loss. Toronto, who shot 52% from the floor, has now lost eight of their last eleven.

Game FIC Scores Chris Paul, NOH – 27.9 David West, NOH – 22.5 Jamario Moon, TOR – 16.8 Chris Bosh, TOR – 14.0

- GSW 114, DAL 104

The Golden State Warriors used a strong second quarter to defeat the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Monta Ellis led with 30 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, and Andris Biedrins added 16 points and 10 boards of his own for the Warriors, who shot 47% from the floor and outrebounded Dallas by nine. Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 36 points and 9 rebounds while Jason Kidd tallied 13 points, 14 assists, and 9 boards in the loss. Golden State turned the ball over just eight times and grabbed six more offensive rebounds than Dallas. The Warriors and Mavericks have moved into a three-way tie with the Nuggets for the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores Josh Howard, DAL – 25.6 Jason Kidd, DAL – 24.3 Andris Biedrins, GSW – 20.8 Monta Ellis, GSW – 18.0

- SAC 120, SEA 107

The Sacramento Kings used a big third quarter run to knock off the Seattle Supersonics last night. Ron Artest had 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals, and Kevin Martin notched 31 points for the Kings, who hit 55% of their shots and outrebounded Seattle by eleven on the road. Kevin Durant led the Sonics in defeat with 25 points while Earl Watson posted 20 points and 12 assists, and rookie Jeff Green added 21 points. Superb bench play from Francisco Garcia and John Salmons proved to be the difference for Sacramento.

Game FIC Scores Ron Artest, SAC – 28.1 Earl Watson, SEA – 23.3 Francisco Garcia, SAC – 16.5 Kevin Martin, SAC – 15.0

- LAL 126, WSH 120 (OT)

The Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Washington Wizards in overtime on Sunday night for their fiftieth win of the season. Kobe Bryant had 26 points and 13 assists, and Lamar Odom added 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 dimes for the Lakers, who hit 49% of their shots and took good care of the ball in the win. Caron Butler had 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists for the Wizards in the hard-fought loss while rookie Nick young added 27 points off the bench. Washington used a 39-28 third quarter run to get back in the game, and Butler hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Game FIC Scores Caron Butler, WSH – 23.0 Luke Walton, LAL – 19.4 DeShawn Stevenson, WSH – 18.3 Kobe Bryant, LAL – 17.9

• RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.' Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Via Andrew Perna/RealGM


RGM Daily Rundown For March 26th: Paul Bests LeBron In MVP Showdown

Andrew Perna is under the weather today, so he's asked me to fill in for him on the Daily Rundown for March 26th's games.

- DET 89, TOR 82

The Raptors scored just 33 first half points, but exploded for 28 in the third and fourth quarters to defeat the Pistons 89-82 to climb one game over .500 for the season. Ford and Calderon combined to outplay Billups (per 40 FIC of 21.0 and 20.4 respectively compared to 18.2 for Billups) while Rasho Nesterovic had nine rebounds, four blocks and 15 points.

Game FIC Scores Chauncey Billups, DET - 17.8 T.J. Ford, TOR - 15.3 Chris Bosh, TOR - 15.0 Rodney Stuckey, DET - 10.5

- MIA 96, NYK 103

Miami was unable to get that coveted 14th win of the season during their final trip to Madison Square Garden of the year. Ricky Davis had a very good game, scoring 28 points on 7-10 shooting from 3-point territory. For the Knicks, Jamal Crawford scored 24 points and grabbed four steals while David Lee went for 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Game FIC Scores Jamal Crawford, NYK - 17.0 David Lee, NYK - 16.5 Ricky Davis, MIA - 23.8 Kasib Powell, MIA - 9.0 (17.1 per 40)

- CHI 99, PHI 121

Behind an outstanding 18 assist night from Andre Miller, the Sixers inched even closer to the playoffs while the Bulls inch out of it. The Sixers shot 54% from the field while the Bulls continued their season-long shooting woes by going 34-86. Louis Williams scored 23 points in 23 minutes on 8-13 shooting.

Game FIC Scores Andre Miller, PHI - 28.5 Louis Williams, PHI - 21.5 (37.4 per 40) Thabo Sefolosha, CHI - 19.8 Thaddeus Young, PHI - 14.8

- MIL 96, ATL 115

Joe Johnson scored 28 points while dishing out eight assist in Atlanta's comfortable win over the Bucks. Off the bench, Josh Childress chipped in 20 while Zaza Pachulia grabbed eight rebounds. Only Andrew Bogut fared considerably well for the Bucks, scoring 27 and grabbing nine (six offensive) rebounds.

Game FIC Scores Joe Johnson, ATL - 19.6 Josh Childress, ATL - 20.0 Andrew Bogus, MIL - 23.5 Zaza Pachulia, ATL - 14.1

- NOH 100, CLE 99

If Chris Paul and LeBron James are having an MVP war, then the point guard won this game and the battle. Paul scored 15 points and had a monstrous 20 assists; Paul was responsible (either by dishing or passing) for 71% of the Hornets' field goals Wednesday. LeBron had 21 points and eight rebounds, but Zydrunas Ilgasuskas' 29 and 15 is what kept Cleveland afloat.

Game FIC Scores Chris Paul, NOH - 24.5 LeBron James, CLE - 18.0 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE - 25.4 Peja Stojakovic, NOH - 16.1

- PHX 97, BOS 117

The Celtics avenged their loss in Phoenix by outscoring the Suns 60-40 in the second half of their 117-97 victory. Kevin Garnett scored 30 points on 12-19 shooting but had just three rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 14 points with six rebounds and six assists.

Game FIC Scores Kevin Garnett, BOS - 25.0 Paul Pierce, BOS - 18.6 Amare Stoudemire, PHX - 17.9 Raja Bell, PHX - 1.8

- IND 117, NJN 124

Devin Harris had another great game in a Nets uniform, scoring 22 points and dishing 15 assists in the Nets' 124-117 victory over Indiana. Sidenote: On the irony scale, how significant would it be if Jason Kidd misses the playoffs with Dallas while the Nets slide in?

Game FIC Scores Devin Harris, NJN - 27.8 Josh Boone, NJN - 16.3 Vince Carter, NJN - 18.6 Mike Dunleavy, IND - 28.8

- MIN 86, HOU 97

The Rockets did enough to squeak past the Timberwolves, mainly by outrebounding them by a margin of 20. Luis Scola had 18 and 18 while Tracy McGrady was one assist shy of a triple double. Carl Landry, Luther Head and Bobby Jackson were all pivotal off the bench for Rick Adelman.

Game FIC Scores Luis Scola, HOU - 20.8 Tracy McGrady, HOU - 19.5 Al Jefferson, MIN - 19.5 Carl Landry, HOU - 8.1 (20.3)

- LAC 88, SAS 97

The Spurs are yet again on the doorstep of a 50 win season. Tim Duncan had 26 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 80% from the floor. As a team, San Antonio shot 50% from the floor, while holding the Clippers to just 39%.

Game FIC Scores Tim Duncan, SAS - 26.9 Michael Finley, SAS - 11.3 Al Thornton, LAC - 14.0 Josh Powell, LAC - 9.3 (37.0 per 40)

- MEM 106, SAC 107

Kevin Martin's 36 points was barely enough to knock off the Grizzlies at Arco Arena. Brad Miller had 15 points and 17 boards while Ron Artest scored 24.

Game FIC Scores Brad Miller, SAC - 26.6 Kevin Martin, SAC - 21.8 Javaris Crittenton, MEM - 12.3 (19.6 per 40) Ron Artest, SAC -14.3

- WSH 104, SEA 99

Kevin Durant continues his improved play, scoring 32 points on 13-22 shooting in the Sonics' narrow loss to Washington. Antawn Jamison had 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Roger Mason had 22 points in almost 22 minutes off the bench.

Game FIC Scores Antawn Jamison, WSH - 20.4 Kevin Durant, SEA - 18.4 Nick Collison, SEA -18.3 Roger Mason, WSH - 13.3 (25.2 per 40)

- CHA 108, LAL 95

Perhaps karmic influences were present following the Bob Delaney call in Monday's win at Golden State, but the Bobcats' impressive 2nd quarter put them ahead 57-44 at halftime and it was enough to stave off the Lakers. Jason Richardson scored 34 points on 13-28 shooting while Gerald Wallace went for 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Game FIC Scores Gerald Wallace, CHA - 20.8 Jason Richardson, CHA - 20.4 Lamar Odom, LAL - 19.3 Kobe Bryant, LAL - 9.8

• RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'

Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Via Christopher Reina/RealGM


RGM Daily Rundown Mar. 19: Jostling For Seeds

A handful of teams jostled for playoff position on Wednesday night as the NBA schedule had a slate of twelve games. The Wizards and Cavaliers made huge statements in the East, while the Hornets and Suns improved their position in the West. Read about all the movement and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 19th’s games!

- IND 102, CHA 95

The Indiana Pacers used a huge third quarter to knock off the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Ronald Murray had 22 points and Troy Murphy added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who hit 49% of their shots and outrebounded Charlotte by two. Jason Richardson nearly had a triple-double for the Bobcats with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, while Gerald Wallace added 17 points and 6 boards of his own in the loss. Indiana was without Danny Granger, who was suffering from a wrist injury.

Game FIC Scores Troy Murphy, IND – 23.8 Jason Richardson, CHA – 22.0 Flip Murray, IND – 15.4 Emeka Okafor, CHA – 2.3

- WSH 87, ORL 86

The Washington Wizards held off the Orlando Magic in the final seconds last night to record a big conference victory. Antawn Jamison had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Brendan Haywood added 10 points and 11 boards for the Wizards, who held the Magic to just 33% shooting from the field and grabbed eight steals. Hedo Turkoglu led Orlando with 39 points and 6 rebounds and Keith Bogans added 14 points off the bench in defeat. Orlando’s magic number to clinch the division is still four games.

Game FIC Scores Hedo Turkoglu, ORL – 26.8 Antawn Jamison, WSH – 26.0 Jameer Nelson, ORL – 15.0 Brendan Haywood, WSH – 12.0

- PHI 115, DEN 113

Samuel Dalembert made a layup in the final minute to give the Philadelphia 76ers a close win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Andre Miller had 28 points and 12 assists and Dalembert added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who shot 60% on the night and outrebounded Denver by ten. Allen Iverson posted 32 points and 8 assists and Carmelo Anthony added 26 points for the Nuggets, who scored nineteen points off turnovers and are now two games behind the Warriors for eighth place in the uber-tight Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores Allen Iverson, DEN – 21.4 Andre Miller, PHI – 20.4 Andre Iguodala, PHI – 17.8 Kenyon Martin, DEN – 17.3

- TOR 96, MIA 54

The Toronto Raptors held the Miami Heat to just 54 points last night en route to a 42-point win. Jose Calderon notched 10 points and 10 assists and Chris Bosh added 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot 54% from the field and outrebounded Miami by fifteen. Ricky Davis had 12 points and 5 rebounds for the Heat, who hit just 25% of their shots and scored only nine points in the fourth quarter. Miami, without Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, set records for offensive futility across the board.

Game FIC Scores Jose Calderon, TOR – 21.8 Jamario Moon, TOR – 15.0 Rasho Nesterovic, TOR – 14.5 Ricky Davis, MIA – 7.3

- NJN 125, ATL 117

The New Jersey Nets outscored the Atlanta Hawks by eighteen points in the second half on Wednesday night on their way to a big win. Vince Carter had 39 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists and Richard Jefferson added 33 points and 5 boards for the Nets, who hit 58% of their shots and took great care of the basketball. Al Horford posted 20 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for the Hawks, who shot 52% on the night and got 24 points from Joe Johnson in the loss. Devin Harris, who sprained his ankle against the Bulls on Tuesday, played through the pain and notched 26 points and 9 rebounds in the win.

Game FIC Scores Vince Carter, NJN – 33.5 Al Horford, ATL – 29.3 Richard Jefferson, NJN – 20.8 Devin Harris, NJN – 19.5

- NOH 90, HOU 69

The Houston Rockets have now begun another streak, losing their second consecutive game last night against the New Orleans Hornets. David West had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who held Houston to just 34% shooting and scored 22 points off turnovers. Dikembe Mutombo posted 10 points and 13 rebounds and Luis Scola added 14 points and 9 boards for the Rockets in the loss. Houston outrebounded New Orleans by three, but the loss dropped them from first-place in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores Chris Paul, NOH – 21.9 Bonzi Wells, NOH – 18.4 Dikembe Mutombo, HOU – 15.3 David West, NOH – 13.9

- CLE 89, DET 73

The Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Detroit Pistons by ten points in the fourth quarter en route to a big statement win on Wednesday night. LeBron James had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 20 points and 8 boards for the Cavs, who outrebounded Detroit by seven and hit 44% of their shots. Rasheed Wallace posted 16 points and 6 rebounds for the Pistons, who also got 11 points and 7 assists from Richard Hamilton. Cleveland is still more than ten games behind Detroit in the Central Division, but the win will mean wonders by the Cavs in the postseason.

Game FIC Scores LeBron James, CLE – 27.1 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE – 16.4 Richard Hamilton, DET – 12.3 Antonio McDyess, DET – 12.3

- MIN 98, MEM 94

The Minnesota Timberwolves used a huge fourth quarter to knock off the Memphis Grizzles last night. Al Jefferson posted 29 points and 13 rebounds and Randy Foye added 12 points and 10 boards for the Wolves, who hit 39% of their shots but turned the ball over just eight times. Rudy Gay notched 25 points and 7 rebounds and Mike Miller added 20 points and 10 boards for Memphis, who outrebounded Minnesota by five but recorded just nine assists on their thirty-four field goals.

Game FIC Scores Al Jefferson, MIN – 22.8 Hakim Warrick, MEM – 17.5 Marko Jaric, MIN – 14.9 Mike Miller, MEM – 13.5

- PHX 110, SEA 98

Three players scored more than twenty points for the Phoenix Suns in a win over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night. Steve Nash had 23 points and 11 assists and Amare Stoudemire added 26 points and 6 boards for the Suns, who hit 57% of their shots and outrebounded Seattle by eleven. Jeff Green led the Sonics with 19 points and Nick Collison added 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Phoenix turned the ball over twenty-six times, while Seattle committed eighteen miscues.

Game FIC Scores Steve Nash, PHX – 19.5 Grant Hill, PHX – 17.0 Raja Bell, PHX – 15.8 Jeff Green, SEA – 14.5

- GSW 116, LAC 100

The Golden State Warriors outscored the Los Angeles Clippers by eighteen points in the first half en route to a victory last night. Stephen Jackson had 29 points and Mickael Pietrus added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who hit 51% of their shots and scored twenty-four points off turnovers. Rookie Al Thornton posted 24 points and 14 boards for the Clippers, while Corey Maggette added 21 points in the loss. Golden State is less than two games behind Dallas for the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores Monta Ellis, GSW – 19.9 Stephen Jackson, GSW – 17.3 Al Thornton, LAC – 16.3 Tim Thomas, LAC – 14.0

• RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.' Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Via Andrew Perna/RealGM


Hornets Mar 2008 Archive