Bodog Beat

Time to see if change is a good thing. (AP Images)

After moving Tyson Chandler, the New Orleans Hornets hope to have enough interior defense to counter Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic when the clubs meet tonight in New Orleans.

The trade brought veteran Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox to New Orleans and should give the team some salary cap room next season, but it could weaken the Hornets inside for the remainder of this season.

Even worse is the fact that it is unclear if Smith or Wilcox will be with the Hornets tonight. Not a good thing with Howard coming to town.

The Magic center had a career-high 45 points on 16-of-23 shooting from the field with 19 rebounds and eight blocked shots and helped Orlando beat Charlotte on Tuesday.

Orlando, a 1-point underdog tonight, is 11-2 on the road against Western Conference opponents this season.