Hornets take 2-0 series lead against Spurs

Hornets forward David West knew the Spurs were going to feed the ball to star Tim Duncan early and often in Game 2 on Monday night after he was held to five points in his team's opening loss of the second-round Western Conference playoff series.

And with the Hornets ready on the defensive end and point guard Chris Paul utilizing his skills as a playmaker and scorer, the Hornets blitzed the Spurs 102-84 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,927 at the New Orleans Arena. Duncan scored a team-high 18 points, but he was largely ineffective in the third quarter, when the Hornets went on a game-changing run.

The Hornets now have a commanding 2-0 lead against the defending-champion Spurs. The best-of-seven series resumes Thursday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Hornets have never advanced beyond the conference semifinals, but are now only two victories from playing the Los Angeles Lakers-Utah Jazz winner in the Western Conference finals.

"I'm proud of the way this team has played," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "We've had a heck of a season. We still got a lot of people out there that doubt us. I think that's what fuels these guys."

Paul led the way again with a game-high 30 points and 12 assists. Forward Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, which included five of seven 3-pointers. Shooting guard Morris Peterson made all five shots from the field for 12 points, and the Hornets made 48 percent of their shots.

After trailing 43-42 at halftime, the Hornets opened the third quarter with Stojakovic hitting a 3-pointer, a Paul finger-roll layup and a 3-pointer from Peterson, and the rout was on.

Three minutes into the quarter, the Hornets had a nine-point lead and Duncan began to show the same frustration as he did in Game 1.