Spurs get even with big victory

SAN ANTONIO -- Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in.

Yep, it was going to be that easy.

Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans -- 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots -- to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Duncan said. “It’s just that. You’ve got to step up at playoff time. It’s win or go home. So you’ve got to step up and make plays.”

The defending champion Spurs have stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to even the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2 after nearly 20-point losses in Games 1 and 2.

Tony Parker added 21 points for the Spurs. Game 5 is Tuesday in New Orleans.

“We’ve got to play Game 5 the same way we approached Game 3 and 4,” San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili said. “That is going to be huge, so we don’t have to have any satisfaction.”

The Spurs led by as many as 27 and were ahead nearly the entire game. They shot 51% (39 for 76), while the Hornets were cold when it counted. They shot 37% through three quarters and finished 33 for 82 (40%) from the field.

“Our intensity was terrible. From Game 1 to Game 4, ours has gotten worse and theirs has gotten better,” Hornets Coach Byron Scott said.

New Orleans’ Chris Paul had 23 points but only five assists. Teammate David West was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting.