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Sixers finish lengthy road trip in the Big Easy vs. Hornets

Jan 3, 2011 - 3:45 PM (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia 76ers will finally finish a grueling eight-game road trip in the Big Easy tonight against the New Orleans Hornets.

The Sixers fell to 3-4 on the trek Friday in Los Angeles when Kobe Bryant hit the deciding jumper with 1:15 remaining and sank two free throws in the final seconds, as the Los Angeles Lakers edged Philadelphia, 102-98, at Staples Center.

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 19 points and 11 assists. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young finished with 18 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench for the Sixers.

"I am proud of our guys," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. "We hung in there and battled. Twenty-six assists ... we moved the ball. [Gasol and Bynum] are just so big, that's a load in there."

On the injury front for Philadelphia, defensive stalwart Andre Iguodala will miss his fourth straight game tonight with tendinitis in his right Achilles'.

The Hornets, meanwhile, finished a brief two-game road trip in perfect fashion on Saturday when Trevor Ariza scored a season-high 22 points, Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 15 rebounds and New Orleans beat Washington, 92-81.

Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Hornets, who were coming off an 83-81 win over Boston on Friday that snapped a seven-game road losing streak.

New Orleans is a solid 13-4 on its home floor this season and will be aiming to avoid losing consecutive games in the Big Easy for the first time this season. The Hornets were thumped by the Lakers, 103-88, in their last home game a week ago.

The Sixers, who are 5-14 as the visitor on the year, have taken three straight over New Orleans, including an 88-70 win in the City of Brotherly Love back on Dec. 12. The 70 points in that one was a season-low for the Hornets this season.