The AP reports: The NBA’s defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili scored 31 points each and Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night… Chris Paul, still almost unstoppable, led the Hornets with 35 points and nine assists. David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which was dominant in the first two games of the series… Ginobili, the league’s top sixth man, started for the first time this postseason and led a Spurs charge early in the final quarter. Left alone, he hit a wide-open 3 and was fouled by Bonzi Wells, who scrambled at him to guard the shot. Ginobili’s free throw put San Antonio up 87-82, and another 3 by Ginobili 38 seconds later made it 90-84. New Orleans got within 90-88 before the Spurs took over, playing out the fourth quarter better than they have played all series… Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets’ 3-point sharpshooter, was held to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting as he was guarded by San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen.
