Hornets Lose to the Pacers

Welp. Rock bottom? Perhaps.

This loss -- one that featured a rather ridiculous 46-29 advantage at halftime -- feels worse than the blowouts, and the Hornets have nobody but themselves to blame.

29 points allowed on 42 possessions in the first half (69 DRtg with the league average at 105) ballooned to 52 on 45 in the second half (115 DRtg). And on the flipside, a 109 first half team ORtg collapsed to 64 in the second half, including an exceedingly pathetic 30 in the third quarter.

The Hornets now come within a single game of matching a franchise record of 12 straight losses, set way back in 1990. Even with relatively easy opponents next up on the docket -- at Orlando, Toronto, at Charlotte to close 2012 -- there's no reason why this team can't blow right past that mark.

The defense continues to be beyond depressing, that first half notwithstanding, and while Anthony Davis' return has injected some semblance of life into the team at both ends, this is a deeply, deeply flawed group (and, dare we say it.. perhaps coaching effort).

Lance Thomas started and played 22 minutes, racking up a grand total of 2 points and 0 defensive rebounds. Austin Rivers missed 9 of 12 shots. Ryan Anderson missed all of his twos. As usual, Darius Miller and Al-Farouq Aminu were chained to the bench with Dominic McGuire aiding and abetting Lance Thomas' impressively comprehensive lack of offense (0 points, 1 rebound for McGuire in his 7 minutes).

"We suck" doesn't even really cut it any more, even if it's unequivocally accurate. This Hornets squad is playing just about as poorly as any in the history of the franchise. And it's about time we start wondering exactly how justifiable that is.

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