Category: New Orleans Pelicans Blog

The AP reports: David West bounced back from a miserable Game 3 with a determined effort in Game 4, scoring 10 points in an early second half rally that sent the Hornets surging past the Mavericks 97-84 on Sunday night, giving them a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. West had 24 points and nine rebounds, Chris Paul had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and the Hornets ended an 0-for-14 drought in Dallas that dated to January 1998. Now they’re headed to New Orleans, hoping to win Game 5 on Tuesday night and avoid coming back to Big D until next season. The Mavericks are on the brink of a second straight first-round exit… Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 20 points, but they didn’t get much help. Josh Howard was 3-for-16 and Kidd had only three points, three assists and four rebounds before getting ejected with 7:16 left for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo. The exodus in the aisles came soon after, even before Hornets coach Byron Scott pulled his starters… Peja Stojakovic scored 19 points and Julian Wright added 11, including a tremendous dunk off a midcourt steal of Jerry Stackhouse, a play that emphasized the difference in the age and agility of these teams… Even with Pargo running the offense instead of Paul, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, with Wright’s big dunk coming in that spurt.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 50%, the Mavs just 36%. The Hornets hit 4-of-10 three-pointers, the Mavs just 8-of-25. The Mavs had a slight rebounding edge, assists were tied and both teams barely committed any turnovers. For the Hornets, West had 24 points and 9 rebounds. Stojakovic, hitting three of the team’s four three-pointers, had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Chris Paul had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Morris Peterson, Jannero Pargo and Julian Wright (5-of-6) all scored double-digits. For the Mavs, Nowitzki needed 18 shots to get his 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jason Terry took 16 shots to get 20 points and little else. Brandon Bass took 12 shots to get 12 points and 9 rebounds. No other Mavs reached double-digits. Jason Kidd, playing just 29 minutes, shot 1-of-6 for 3 points and little else.

The AP reports: With 13 of Chris Paul’s first 16 shots falling out instead of in, and fellow All-Star David West clanging 11 of his first 14, the Hornets couldn’t get into a groove until it was too late. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry came up big on both ends of the court, pulling Dallas right back into this first-round series with a 97-87 victory in Game 3 on Friday night. Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to get the Mavericks within 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Dallas, where the Hornets haven’t won since January 1998… Terry replaced Jerry Stackhouse as a starter and replaced Jason Kidd as Paul’s primary defender. The MVP candidate went from ringing up consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists—something nobody had ever done in his first two playoff games—to having 16 points and 10 assists… Josh Howard scored 18 points for Dallas, but was only 5-of-16. His performance drew extra scrutiny because hours before tipoff he went on local radio and admitted to using marijuana in the offseason. Team owner Mark Cuban said Howard will be disciplined… Dallas took 22 free throws in the period, compared to just seven for New Orleans. Yes, the Mavericks went to the rim harder than the Hornets. They also were aided by getting into the bonus just 3:17 into the quarter.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Mavs shot 42.7%, the Hornets just 37.9%. The Mavs were lousy from three-point range at just 5-of-17, while the Hornets nailed 8-of-16 (Pargo had 4 threes, Stojakovic had 3). The Mavs won rebounds 52-43. The Hornets had just 2 steals. For the Mavs, Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Terry had 22 points, 6 assists and 2 steals. Josh Howard shot just 5-of-16 for 18 points and not a lot else. Jason Kidd had 8 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. For the Hornets, Jannero Pargo shot 12-of-20 for 30 points. Chris Paul shot just 4-of-18 for 16 points and 10 assists. David West shot just 6-of-20 for 14 points and 9 rebounds. Stojakovic was hot from three-point range but cold elsewhere, going 6-of-20 for 14 points and 9 rebounds. Tyson Chandler had no blocks.

The AP reports: Chris Paul had 32 points and a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading New Orleans to a 127-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night that gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead in their first-round series… David West scored 27 points and Peja Stojakovic 22 for New Orleans, which took a double-digit lead in the second quarter, led by as much as 25 in the third and never looked back. Tyson Chandler had his second double-double of the series with 10 points and 11 rebounds, despite playing with foul trouble. Morris Peterson added 12 points and reserve guard Jannero Pargo had 10 for New Orleans, which was 10-of-18 on 3-pointers, with Stojakovic hitting 5-of-7… Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points, but spent most of the night looking frustrated, yelling at no one in particular after he threw one pass out of bounds. Brandon Bass was another bright spot for Dallas, muscling inside for 19 points. Reserve Jason Terry added 16 points and Josh Howard scored 10… The Mavs hoped Jason Kidd would be a bigger factor in this game, but he finished with only seven points and eight assists.

The AP reports: Chris Paul had 35 points, 10 assists and four steals in his first playoff game Saturday night, lifting New Orleans to a 104-92 come-from-behind victory over Dallas in Game 1 of their first-round series… David West scored 23 points against Dallas. Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 15 rebounds to help New Orleans not only storm back but win going away. Dirk Nowitzki had his way with New Orleans early and finished with 31 points, but scored only four during Dallas’ fourth-quarter collapse. Josh Howard added 17 points for the Mavericks, who were in the finals two years ago… Jason Kidd, the All-Star point guard the Mavericks were hoping would be the missing piece to a championship run when they traded for him midseason, finished with 11 points and nine assists… The Hornets also got 14 points from Peja Stojakovic, one of their few grizzled playoff vets, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final period to help squelch any notion of a Dallas comeback.

The AP reports: Jason Kidd had the 100th triple-double of his career and sparked a 30-8 stretch that sent the Dallas Mavericks past the New Orleans Hornets, 111-98 Wednesday night, and set up a first-round showdown between these teams. Kidd had 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double since rejoining the Mavericks, the team he was with when he broke into the NBA and began piling up the stats… Dirk Nowitzki shot just 4-of-16 and had 12 points. Howard scored 19 and Bass had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kidd shot 9-of-14, hitting 5-of-8 on 3-pointers. David West scored 26 points and Chris Paul had 20 points and 10 assists. Peja Stojakovic scored 17 and Bonzi Wells had 16 for New Orleans, which ends the season having lost three of four and four of five.