Coming off a win to end the 2012 calendar year, the New Orleans Hornets were hoping to do the same to begin 2013. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Hawks had another idea, defeating the Hornets 95-86.

New Orleans continues to have major issues in the third quarter. Despite leading by 6 at halftime, the Hornets let the game slip away in the third, as they were outscored 28-14 by Atlanta.

Eric Gordon played in his first home game of the season. However, he didn't fare nearly as well as he did in Saturday's win in Charlotte. The Hawks played swarming defense, holding Gordon to 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He also had a game-high 4 turnovers.

Anthony Davis (pictured) struggled offensively (9 points on 4-9 from the field), but did grab 12 rebounds and block 4 shots.

For the second time in a week, Greivis Vasquez came up one rebound shy of a triple-double (17 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds). Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 23 points.

Perhaps the most disappointing performance for New Orleans came at the charity stripe. While the Hornets have shot free throws well this season, they set a dubious record in Tuesday night's loss, making 4 of 12. The .333 percentage is a franchise record-low.

Atlanta's big men were outstanding. Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia scored 55 of the Hawks 95 points. They trio also pulled down 26 boards.

Next up for the Hornets, a road matchup with the Houston Rockets tonight. Tip-off is set for 7:00.

More From 103.3 The GOAT