NEW ORLEANS — This was supposed to be a brutal stretch of the schedule for the New Orleans Hornets.
Instead, David West and fellow starters have spent back-to-back nights kicking back on the bench in the fourth quarter, smiling as reserves close out double-digit routs of the playoff-contending Atlanta Hawks and the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs.
West had 18 points and 10 rebounds in less than 30 minutes, and the Hornets earned their eighth consecutive victory while ending San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak, 96-72 on Saturday night.
“I don’t think we expected the games to be like this,” West said. “But we’ve been having some good film sessions, having really good dialogue and talking amongst ourselves about how we’re going to defend teams.”
One night after winning by 41 at Atlanta, the Hornets led by as many as 31 against a Spurs team that has the NBA’s best record (37-7), but which has also lost twice to New Orleans (29-16).
The Hornets entered the game with an NBA-low 91.4 points allowed per game and only strengthened their claim as the best defensive team in the league by holding San Antonio to a season-low in points.
“It shows a little consistency,” said Emeka Okafor, who had 12 rebounds and five of the Hornets’ eight blocked shots. “We’re on a little bit of a tear here. These two commanding wins we’ve had adds some validity to it.”
The Hornets have now held consecutive opponents to 72 or fewer points for the first time in franchise history.
