"Gregg Popovich lamented last week that the lack of practice time resulting from the lockout had made him drastically alter his coaching plans from a typical season.

When asked about emplying a zone defense with his current group, Popovich chuckled at the thought.

Something happened Monday night. Maybe it was New Orleans' blistering start that saw the Hornets hit nine of their first 12 shots. Or the fact that his defense needed a spark from somewhere.

Whatever the reason, Popovich pulled a zone defense out of his bag of tricks. That shift was enough that the Hornets cooled down a little."