Each night, the Clarion will choose the top game on the NBA calendar and select a winner. Keep checking out our pick every day, and let us know what you think in our comment section below.
New Orleans Hornets (2-4) at Los Angeles Lakers (5-1), 9:30 p.m.
As their record shows, the Hornets are not off to a good start and despite the Lakers’ winning record, they have not been playing great either.
The Hornets biggest problem is they have two starters that are not giving them any production whatsoever in Morris Peterson and Julian Wright. The good news is Chris Paul has been playing phenomenal (28.5 PPG & 9.8 APG), David West has been okay (16.8 PPG) and Emeka Okafor has done as much as can be expected (12.5 PPG & 10.7RPG).
The Lakers have five wins, but they are battling for each one. They had to go to overtime to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder this past week and only beat the Houston Rockets by one-point Wed. Their second best player, forward Pau Gasol, has yet to play in a game this season and center Andrew Bynum missed Fridays win over the Grizzlies with a strained right elbow.
With the Lakers big men hurt, I think this should be an even match. This game comes down to what each team’s best player can do and nobody can do more than Kobe.
Hornets 101, Lakers 106