NEW ORLEANS — Shutting down David West only gave the San Antonio Spurs front- row seats for the Chris Paul show.
With razzle-dazzle dribbles and a driving floater that couldn’t miss, Paul had 30 points and 12 assists, leading the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-84 victory Monday night and a 2-0 lead over the Spurs in their second-round series.
“These are some of the best moments, I think, of my life that we’re experiencing right now,” Paul said. “We’re just riding a wave right now.”
Peja Stojakovic hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the Hornets, who have won both games by wide margins in becoming the first team to put San Antonio in an 0-2 playoff hole since 2001, when the Spurs were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
“We’re definitely a little shocked,” Spurs forward Kurt Thomas said. “You can’t take anything away from them. They are playing extremely well. If one person’s not going, someone else is stepping up.”
Game 3 is Thursday in San Antonio.
After allowing West to score a playoff career-high 30 points in the series opener, the Spurs held the all-star power forward to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds and all of his five points during a key stretch midway through the fourth quarter when the Hornets prevented San Antonio from getting within single digits.
Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 18 points and eight rebounds, far better than his miserable Game 1, when he tied a career playoff low with five points and three rebounds. But by the final minutes, Duncan was on the bench, resting his cheek on his hand with a dejected stare.
Manu Ginobili scored 13 for the Spurs and Tony Parker 11. Brent Barry added 14, some of it when the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs continued to settle for 3-pointers, going 8-for-27 and finishing at 42.5 percent shooting overall. The Hornets shot 48 percent.
The Hornets opened the second half with a 10-0 run that included 3s by Stojakovic and Morris Peterson.
