Like any good New Orleanian, your correspondent spent last night Krewe du Vieux-ing it up. While we were partying, the Hornets lost what was by all accounts a very winnable game to the Golden State Warriors, by a tally of 116-112. The Hornets dropped to 13-27 on the season.

We’re glad we missed this one, as the recaps of the game’s final moments sound absolutely painful. We’ll spare you the details — just know you should be upset with Eric Gordon, Jason Smith, and Monty Williams.

A quick glance at the box score, however, and you’d never guess New Orleans lost this game. We shot an outstanding 57 percent from the field, outrebounded the Warriors, knocked down some threes, and turned the ball over a defensible 16 times. But it was free throws that did us in — our 13-of-23 free throw shooting looks terrible next to the Warriors’ 30-of-35 effort. As Jimmy Smith notes, that’s been the trend this season. 

On the positive side, it is excellent to see Anthony Davis get back on track with an efficient 20 points on 12 shots (despite awful free throw shooting), 12 rebounds and four blocks. Al-Farouq Aminu has been, surprisingly, a model of consistency of late. Smart shot selection led to 7-of-9 shooting, he grabbed 10 boards again, and committed only one turnover. Ryan Anderson was overdue for a good shooting night, and got himself 19 points on 14 shots.

The fact that Hornets fans are so upset over losing to a strong playoff team speaks to just how convincing New Orleans’ turnaround has been. Every game seems winnable to us lately, tough schedule and poor record be damned. Another year of experience, a solid draft pick or two, smart signings in the offseason, and this team could well emerge as a contender next season.

The boys have an excellent opportunity to get back on track when the Sacramento Kings come to town on Monday.

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