Thursday's game at the Delta Center was a good start to the toughest -- and perhaps most crucial -- stretch of the season for the New Orleans Hornets.

Playing the first of seven road games in 12 days, the Hornets set out on the longest Western trip of the season for any Eastern Conference team, and things will get a lot harder before they get easier.

The Hornets play Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers tonight in Los Angeles, and the undefeated-at-home Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Then it's back-to-back games at Portland and Golden State, followed by a game at Seattle before closing out the trip at San Antonio.