New Orleans Hornets 104, Dallas Mavericks 92

by PegNews wire

The Dallas Mavericks blew a seemingly-commanding 12-point halftime lead en route to a lethargic 104-92 loss in New Orleans Saturday night. Up 52-40 after two quarters, the Mavericks were outscored 64-40 the rest of the way in the first game of this first-round playoff series.

The primary culprit for the Mavericks' demise was dismal shot selection and execution. As a team, Dallas shot just 33% for the game, while the far more efficient Hornets shot 46%.

Dirk Nowitzki was the lone Maverick capable of sinking a basket, finishing with 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Dirk also hit 12 of his 13 free throws, collected ten rebounds and singlehandedly kept the Mavericks from getting blown out by 30+. Clearly the Mavericks' embarrassing first-round exit at the hands of underdog Golden State is still fresh on Nowitzki's mind, even if the rest of the team seems to have forgotten.

Josh Howard scored 17, but shot a miserable 4-of-16 from the field, while also producing eight rebounds and four costly turnovers. Jason Kidd had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in his first playoff game as a Maverick.

No other Maverick scored in double digits. The entire Mavericks bench, including Jason Terry and Brandon Bass, scored a whopping 20 points on 7-of-24 shooting. Eric Dampier also did his usual disappearing act, putting up 4 points and 4 rebounds in 27 quiet minutes.

On the Hornets' side of things, after the half possible NBA MVP Chris Paul took his team on his shoulders and started hitting nearly every critical shot. Paul finished with 35 points, ten assists and four steals, while teammates David West and Peja Stojakovic finished with 23 and 14 points, respectively. Center Tyson Chandler was a presence inside, scoring ten points and collecting 15 rebounds, including several off the offensive glass to keep drives alive.

Posted by Todd M.