Swamigp’s Weblog

David West provided a strong performance after a horrid game 3 to lead the Hornets past the Dallas Mavericks to take a 3-1 series lead. West scored 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and Chris Paul did his usual bidding with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. After a mediocre first quarter, the Hornets took control, leading for most of the next three quarters. New Orleans benefited from a flagrant foul by Jason Kidd with just over seven minutes remaining, who close-lined Jannero Pargo and threw him to the ground. The foul was out of pure frustration and malcontent, directed to the waxing his team was being dealt on their home floor. He was immediately ejected, eventually joining his dejected teammates on a plane to New Orleans to face elimination.

Chris Paul directed the game to his teams’ tempo in the second half, leading his team to a margin that was as big as nineteen. Peja Stojakovic continued his solid series, scoring 19 points, hitting 3 threes in the process. The Hornets also got good production from their key bench players. Jannero Pargo and rookie Julian Wright scored 11 points apiece. As ateam they shot 50% compared to only 36% from the Mavs. The win for New Orleans was their first in Dallas in 10 years. The Hornets went on a pretty decisive run in the second quarter when Paul was on the bench, Pargo led a 15-2 run to erase what was a 9 point Dallas lead, 32-23, in the second quarter.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in another solid effort on his part. Only two other Mavs scored in double figures, Jason Terry with 20 and Brandon Bass with 12. New Orleans youth and altheticism proved too much for the aging Mavs. Like in the previous three games of the series, Paul took it to Jason Kidd in every department. He held the Mavs guard to 3 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists and frustrated him enough to commit a bush league foul.