(My Sportsbook) - Star guard Chris Paul willed the
New Orleans Hornets back into their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the
Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Now, Paul and Company hope to deadlock things when the teams resume the set in the Big Easy tonight.
Paul posted game-highs with 32 points and 12 assists over the weekend as the Hornets escaped with a 95-93 win over the second-seeded Nuggets in New Orleans Arena.
Veteran James Posey, who sprained his right knee in the game, connected for 13 points and nine rebounds, including a key free throw in the final seconds for the Hornets, who picked up their first win of the series after dropping the first two on the road.
David West racked up 19 points and nine boards before fouling out late, while Rasual Butler contributed 17 points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc for coach Byron Scott, who shortened his rotation in the game and used just three bench players.
"We just haven't shot the ball well, but we made some good plays today," West said of the contest. "Defensively, we were able to make their life a little more difficult than it has been for the first couple of games. I think we played a more complete game from start to finish."
Carmelo Anthony recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Nuggets, who almost rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit despite connecting on just 40.5 percent from the floor and missing 11-of-35 free throws in the setback.
Chauncey Billups had 16 points, while J.R. Smith added 14 with five boards and Linas Kleiza poured in 13 points in a reserve role.
Denver, which has exited the playoffs in the first-round in five consecutive seasons, last won a postseason set in 1994, taking two straight overtime games from the Seattle SuperSonics to roar back from a 2-1 series deficit.
These two teams split the four-game regular season series with each winning once on the opposition's home floor. This is the first ever postseason meeting between these two clubs.
Game 5 takes place on Wednesday in the Rocky Mountains.
