Paul, who is averaging 26 points and 9 assists this season, landed awkwardly after dishing a pass in the lane to teammate Hilton Armstrong for a basket. Teammates helped Paul off the court and later left the arena on crutches already being ruled out for tomorrow night’s game at Atlanta. One report says Paul could be out up to two weeks.
As for the game, the first for new head coach Jeff Bower, the Hornets struggled to find a lineup to make an impact. Bower and assitant Tim Floyd made it clear however that rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton will be allowed to play, as both rookies saw many minutes of action and contributed.
Collison played 26 minutes and finished the night shooting 7-14 from the field and 18 points. Thornton played 24 minutes, and was 8-15 from the field, ending up with 20 points finishing as the team’s high scorer, and setting a carrier best night for the former LSU Tiger. Forward David West had 15 points on the night.
The Trailblazers were simply too much however with their size down low. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Portland center Greg Oden had 12 rebounds to go with 8 points, and point guard Brandon Roy had 15 points.
The game wasn’t one you’d show to kids as far as how to shoot the ball as both teams shot the ball poorly. The Hornets 36.7% from the field, and the Trailblazers were 37.9% from the field.
The loss dropped to the Hornets to 3-7 on the season, Portland improves to 7-3.
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