{mosimage}Chris Paul gets first postseason triple double as hornets finish off mavs in a close game.
 

March 13, 2008 - The New Orleans Hornets dropped the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night 100 to 75.  With the victory, the Hornet's climb a half game out of first place where the Rockets and Spurs are tied.

{sidebar id=9}David West’s sprained left ankle kept him from running in practice and forced him to miss three games, but didn’t stop him from trying to maintain his shooting touch.

In his return against San Antonio on Wednesday night, West had 29 points and 10 rebounds to help the New Orleans Hornets take a convincing 100-75 victory over the Southwest Division leading Spurs.

“I stayed in the gym,” West said of his absence from the lineup. “I wasn’t able to run, but I was able to shoot. It was just coming out ready to compete, feeling like I was ready to go tonight. It was big. I was ready to get back out there.”

Chris Paul had 26 points and 17 assists as New Orleans pulled within a half-game of the division lead behind the Spurs and Houston Rockets.

Many of his assists came on baskets by West, who made everything from mid-range jumpers to tough fades on the baseline, jump hooks from the post or driving floaters off the glass. He even hit a 3-pointer, which gave New Orleans a 91-71 lead with 5 minutes to go—a dagger that led both coaches to replace all of their starters.

Paul's 26 points, 17 assists, lead Hornets past Spurs, 100-75 - NBA - From Yahoo! Sports

Game Highlights

As recently as the 2004-05 season, the New Orleans Hornets were an NBA joke with an 18-64 record. It looks like the coach of that team, Byron Scott, will get the last laugh. 

{mosimage}As recently as the 2004-05 season, the New Orleans Hornets were an NBA joke with an 18-64 record. It looks like the coach of that team, Byron Scott, will get the last laugh.

Fast Facts

• An all-rookie selection in 1983-84, Byron Scott averaged 14.1 points in a 14-year NBA career.

• Scott was a part of three Los Angeles Lakers championship teams.

• Scott has a 300-316 record in eight coaching seasons in the NBA, leading the Nets to two NBA Finals appearances.

-- ESPN Research

Before the Hornets take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Tuesday, Scott will be named the NBA Coach of the Year, according to multiple media reports. ESPN.com confirmed the reports on Monday night.