02/24/2009 - 22:35
Immediate Returns
by Devon Jeffreys

Tyson's return to the lineup on Monday night was met with plenty of joy from his teammates and Hornets fans. With his performance on the court, Ty made it worth the wait.

The Big Easy, feeling good to be back (Getty Images).

The Big Easy jumped back into the lineup with 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Hornets held off a late charge from the Sacramento Kings, and secured a 112-105 victory Monday night in Sacramento.

The double double was TC's 12th of the season.

“It's good to be back,” a smiling Chandler said moments after the final buzzer, as quoted on the Big Easy Buzz Blog.”

Despite some initial fatigue, No. 6 fought through 32 minutes in his first action in over a month and made his biggest contributions in the fourth quarter. Tyson, as quoted by the Big Easy Buzz Blog:

“I was a little winded out there,” he said of experiencing fatigue late in the game. “It was tough in the fourth quarter, but I wanted to grind it out to get the win.”

The Big Easy grinded it out in a big way scoring 10 points in the final frame and was crucial in helping the Hornets snap a two-game losing skid. Niall Doherty at Hornets 247 best described TC's contributions:

“We probably don't win this game without Tyson Chandler."

"In his first game back from injury, and only a few days removed from that whole rescinded trade debacle, Chandler came up huge for the Hornets against the Kings. I took him less than three minutes to hook up with Chris Paul for a Crescent City Connection, and him picking and rolling with CP made all the difference down the stretch.”

Ty and CP3 connected for three CCC's in the fourth quarter and four in the game as CP greeted Tyson's return with several assists. Paul talked about having Tyson back after the game, as quoted by the AP:

“It [the trade] was something that doesn't happen every day,” said Paul. “But we got our big fella back. He is a guy that knows the system and we know what to expect from him night in and night out. We welcomed him back with open arms.”

A FEW MORE THINGS WE MISSED
At Hornets 247, Doherty noted some more contributions No. 6 made Tuesday night:

“A few more things we missed when Tyson was out were his bone-crushing picks, and his ability to run the break. I mentioned that botched alley oop in the first quarter (where the ball slipped through Tyson's hands), but that play was only a possibility because TC sprinted the floor and beat every King to the lane.”

And finally, Hornets bloggers At the Hive, express their joy with TC's return here.

NEXT UP
The Hornets take Fat Tuesday off before they return to New Orleans Arena Wednesday night for a showdown with the Detroit Pistons. The game will be Tyson's first at The Hive since he landed on awkwardly on the foot of Pacers guard T.J. Ford, spraining his left ankle during a January 19 game.

The Hornets and the Pistons tip off Wednesday night at 5 p.m. PST and all the action can be seen live, in New Orleans, on CST.

RELATED STORIES
Hornets at Kings Play by Play (NBA.com, February 23, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090223/NOHSAC/playbyplay.html
Hornets at Kings Box Score (NBA.com, February 23, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090223/NOHSAC/boxscore.html
Hornets.com postgame: Hornets 112, Kings 105 (Big Easy Buzz Blog, February 24, 2009)
http://neworleanshornetsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/chandler-makes-return-...
New Orleans vs. Sacramento recap (ESPN.com, February 24, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290223023&campaign=rsssrch&so...
The Hornets beat the Kings (Hornets 247, February 24, 2009)
http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2009/02/24/the-hornets-beat-the-kings
Welcome Back Tyson (At the Hive, February 24, 2009)
http://www.atthehive.com/2009/2/24/769445/game-55-welcome-back-tyson

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