Trail Blazers Hold Off Hornets

 The New Orleans Hornets had trouble finding baskets in crunch time once again on Friday night when they hosted the Portland Trail Blazers. As a result, they fell 94-86. It marked their 23rd loss in 25 games.

Trevor Ariza (pictured left) played a whopping 46 minutes for the home team and he didn't disappoint. Ariza scored 23 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, handed out 5 assists, and swiped 2 steals in the losing effort. Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

The injury-plaqued Hornets only had 9 healthy players in uniform. Despite that, they cut the Portland lead to 2 with 48 seconds left. Even with the loses piling up, Monty Williams' squad continues to play hard.

"When I look at this game, I see guys who fought, who competed, who were put in a tough situation and battled all night. Right now, I'm proud to be around a group of guys who fight no matter what the situation,” explained Williams in postgame.  “We have to get better down the stretch, but we had guys out there who had never been in that position, and it was a good learning experience."

Learning experiences can be difficult, and this season certainly has been for the fleur-de-bees.

The Hornets will return to the Hive for their 4th straight home game Monday night when they host the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is set for 7:00.