Hornets too tough for Spurs

NEW ORLEANS -- David West scored a career playoff-high 30 points to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 101-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Division semifinal playoff series Saturday night.

Chris Paul had 17 points, 13 assists and four steals for New Orleans, which trailed by as many as 11 in the first half but stormed into the lead for good in the third quarter.

Tim Duncan had a rare terrible night, going one of nine from the field for a career playoff-low five points and only three rebounds.

The Hornets swarmed Duncan with double teams throughout the game, forcing San Antonio to look for points from outside.

The Spurs made 12 three-point baskets, but also missed 19.

The Hornets dominated the inside, outrebounding San Antonio, 50-34, and outscoring the Spurs 46-26 in the paint. The Hornets also shot 50%, while the Spurs finished at 40.8%.

Tyson Chandler had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots for New Orleans.

Peja Stojakovic had 22 points for the Hornets on nine of 15 shooting, while reserve Bonzi Wells scored 10 points, all but two in the fourth quarter.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and Manu Ginobili had 19.

Bruce Bowen had 17 points and Michael Finley 13, but San Antonio needed more help inside from Duncan and Kurt Thomas, who had only two points and two rebounds.

After trailing most of the first half, the Hornets surged into the lead for good with a 13-0 run in the third quarter that opened with Chandler’s driving layup and ended with Stojakovic’s second three-pointer of the game.

That gave the Hornets a 61-54 lead, which they built to 74-66 heading into the fourth quarter.