(Final)
New Orleans is downed 105-96 at home to the Sacramento Kings.

The Hornets fall to 5-5 while the Kings improve to 5-8.

(2:51)
Yeah. I said it. The Hornets are starting to resemble the Saints right now.

Good season. Rope fans into caring. Then come out the very next season and lay an egg by underachieving.

There's little reason the Hornets shouldn't have been able to put away Sacramento on a night like this - good home crowd, Chris Paul scores 15 first-half points, Devin Brown puts in double figures off the bench.

And yet, the Hornets could never get over that proverbial hump.

There's a few minutes left, but I don't think anyone in the Arena right now is super enthused other to get a free T-shirt the Honeybees and Hugo are throwing out.

(5:35 4th Quarter)
Kings up by one with about five and a half to play.

New Orleans still looking sluggish and not all here at the NOLA Arena.

(8:57 4th Quarter)
New Orleans used a 6-0 to retake the lead before a timeout here.

Not much to say about the first three or so minutes other than this:

Fan quote of the night: "James, put it in his eye!"

James Posey then missed the shot. Oops.

(End 3rd)
Not much good happening in the New Orleans Arena tonight.

Sacramento, that team with the 4-8 record entering the game, isn't going away. In fact, the Kings are shooting 58.2 percent for the game. Some of the shots falling can't be defended.

But there's too much leaving a man open by the Hornets and there's certainly too many easy basketball being made within seven feet of the basket.

Meanwhile, New Orleans would do well to stop complaining about non-fouls and just get its head in the game.

Who knows, this team loves the fourth quarter. Maybe that patented run will come now.

(4:17 3rd Quarter)
There's the Hornets basketball we're used to seeing.

It started when Rasual Butler picked up a steal and finished when Peja Stojakovic hit the Hornets' first 3-pointer of the night.

In between New Orleans picked up its defense as well as the pace of the game, getting up and down the floor much quicker than it did the rest of the game.

Play of the run: A nice give-and-go from Peja to David West in the paint that turned into a dunk.

(9:23 3rd Quarter)
New Orleans came out of the break sloppy. Very.

The Kings, meanwhile, came out on fire. And now they have a 59-56.

Nothing the Hornets have done has worked in the first 2 1/2 minutes.

But in more serious news, before the speed boat race started, I told Danny Rockwell - WWL-TV sports producer - the purple boat would win. He took gold.

He now owes me a fine meal at the taco truck I saw this morning on Claiborne Avenue. But he just leaned over to tell me he expects change back from the dollar he gave me.

(Halftime)
Say this about the Kings, even at 4-8 they're proving pesky for New Orleans.

The Hornets can't put them away. They can't keep Sacramento off the board. New Orleans is not anything like the team it was last season.

The shots aren't falling. The defense is spotty. The pace isn't fast.

We'll see if they come out in the second half and turn things on. If not, you've got to wonder if the malaise that has colored the first part of this season will turn into a season-long problem.

Stat of the half: New Orleans is 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Sacramento is 5-of-9. That's a big difference.

(5:11 2nd Quarter)
Sacramento has scored the past seven points, cutting into New Orleans lead. The Hornets now lead 41-39 at the timeout and whatever semblance of quality play New Orleans showed early on is no longer there.

The offense isn't moving. Passes are getting to players in bad positions.

But that's not important. What's important is that Hugo just gave a Honeybee to a fan for his birthday.

Friends - I think I know where I want to go on my birthday...

(8:13 2nd Quarter)
No one is going to mistake this game for a defensive showdown.

Offense has ruled the night. In the first quarter, New Orleans shot a blistering 61.9 percent while the Kings put in 57.1 percent of their shots.

Interesting stat No. 1 from the first quarter: Chris Paul played the entire time. That might be what we see more of from here on out this season.

Interesting stat No. 2: Sacramento's Spencer Hawes might ring a bell. He played at Washington and, according to people in the know, lit up LSU a year or two ago when the Tigers played the Huskies. Well, he's lighting things up again in Louisiana, this time getting 7 points in less than five minutes of action.

(End 1st Quarter)
That Chris Paul guy, you know, the one they call CP3, might just make it in the NBA. After one quarter he has 11 points, five assists and three steals.

He increased his steals streak to 94 straight.

But he was aided by Devin Brown, who could prove to be the most valuable pickup this offseason.

I know what you're saying, James Posey has the chops and the history to be the biggest pickup.

Brown, however, is proving adept at handling the ball. He's proving swell in the getting-to-the-basket aspect of the game. And he'll likely be able to let Paul take more rest during games if he continues to show how well he can handle the ball.

I'll say this - we might not see Mike James ever again.

Hornets lead 29-23.

(2:40 1st Quarter)
So, Devin Brown wasn't the biggest grab in the offseason. That would be James Posey.

But Brown is proving to be invaluable to the Hornets off the bench. He just came in for Rasual Butler and grabbed a rebound in traffic. Stopped. Turned around. And then baby hooked the ball into the basket for a jumper.

He's been the Hornets' top guard off the bench this season and there's no reason to believe that won't continue.

However, what does need to continue is New Orleans and it's defensive prowess this season. So far in this game, it's been hot and cold. The Kings aren't getting too many easy shots, but enough that Byron Scott likely is going to give his team a tongue-lashing in the locker room at halftime.

But Scott could just do it because he's a good coach and is looking for reasons to get his team playing better.

(8:49 1st Quarter)
Rasual Butler started in place of Morris Peterson, who likely missed because of pain associated with a sprained knee he suffered earlier in the season.

The move - placing Butler in the starting lineup - paid off immediately. You see, he scored the first basket for the Hornets giving them a 2-0 lead. And when a Hornets scores to begin the game, fans get to sit down.

How nice of Rasual. He's such a friendly chap.

(Pregame)
Here are your starting lineups:
Hornets - No. 3 Chris Paul, G; No. 6 Tyson Chandler, C; No. 9 Morris Peterson, G; No. 16 Peja Stojakovic, F; No. 30 David West, F

Kings: No. 20 Donte Greene, F; No. 52 Brad Miller, C; No. 15 John Salmons, G; No. 34 Jason Thompson, F; No. 19 Beno Udrih, G

Notes

• New Orleans' starting lineup all averaged double figures against Sacramento last season.


• Devin Brown is averaging 10.5 points, 1.5 steals and 4 rebounds since becoming the first guard off the bench two games ago.


• David West has scored in double figures in 73 consecutive games, Peja Stojakovic has a 3-pointer in 53 straight and Chris Paul has a steal in 93 consecutive games.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m.