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Hornets hope to snap skid against struggling Clippers

Nov 26, 2012 - 3:46 PM (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Hornets will try to snap a seven-game losing streak on Monday night when they head to the Staples Center to meet the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in the throes of a losing streak themselves.

The Hornets fell to the Denver Nuggets 102-84 Sunday night and haven't won since Nov. 9 when they buried the Charlotte Bobcats at home, 107-99.

"There are not many things to take away from a game like this," head coach Monty Williams said after the Denver loss. "We have guys on our roster who don't understand how we've played here the last couple years. The NBA is a cruel league and teams are going to try and embarrass you every night and that's what we saw tonight."

The Hornets, who played their fourth straight without No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, who is out with a stress reaction in his left ankle, had three players in double-figures. New Orleans only shot 38.8 percent from the field and allowed Denver to shoot 53.3 percent.

The Hornets are 24th in the NBA in scoring and 22nd in opponents' scoring.

If New Orleans is looking for relief it may not come on Monday, but its four- game road trip ends. The Hornets will play their next five in New Orleans.

The Clippers lost their last three, all on the road. They had won six in a row before this slide and the numbers have been telling. On their losing streak, compared to their winning ways, the Clippers are scoring six less points a game and allowing 12 more points.

The Clippers most recent loss was a 104-93 setback to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks rattled off 18 consecutive points in the second quarter against the Clippers' bench, which is perhaps the strongest reserve unit in the entire league.

"Obviously, we have a focus on defense and I think we let our defense slip," said Matt Barnes. "They had an 18-0 run, but on the offensive end we just need to get a little more ball movement. I think teams are prepared for Jamal (Crawford)."

Crawford averaged 20.6 ppg in Los Angeles' first nine games, but has posted 14.0 ppg in the last four. The general consensus is that teams are defending Crawford differently with more traps.

"We just have to do a better job recognizing it and picking them apart on it and getting our guys to recognize it a little bit sooner," said head coach Vinny Del Negro. "And Jamal has to do a better job with his setup to get open."

Blake Griffin played spectacularly in the Atlanta loss with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Chris Paul had 19 points and seven assists.

The Clippers play six of their next seven at home and have beaten the Hornets the last three times the teams met in Los Angeles. The Clips won their last two against New Orleans.