SAN ANTONIO – Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in.
Yep, it was going to be that easy.
Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans – 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks – to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets yesterday.
“I'm just trying to do my part,” Duncan said. “It's just that. You've got to step up at playoff time. It's win or go home. So you've got to step up and make plays.”
The Spurs have stormed back from an 0-2 deficit that looked as if it would be tough to overcome, especially after the losses in Games 1 and 2 were each by nearly 20 points.
Now the Spurs, the old guard and defending champions, and Hornets, this year's youthful surprise success story, are even at 2-2 in the Western Conference semifinals.
Tony Parker added 21 points for the Spurs, who are assured of a Game 6 back in San Antonio. Game 5 is tomorrow in New Orleans.
“We've got to play Game 5 the same way we approached Game 3 and 4,” San Antonio's Manu Ginobili said. “That is going to be huge, so we don't have to have any satisfaction with what we just accomplished. We are the same way we started.”
The Spurs led by as many as 27 and were ahead nearly the entire game. They shot 51 percent (39-of-76), while the Hornets were cold when it counted. They shot 37 percent through three quarters and finished 33-of-82 (40 percent) from the field.
“Our intensity was terrible. From Game 1 to Game 4, ours has gotten worse and theirs has gotten better,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “And that's been the difference. They're just kicking our butts right now. Is that simple enough?”
San Antonio scored 40 points in the paint. New Orleans' plan to keep Parker out of the lane didn't work, as he knifed his way through heavy traffic or found openings to get to the rim, and hit jumpers.
Ginobili, who also got to the rim at will in Game 3, wasn't as successful in Game 4. But he hit jumpers and two three-pointers, finishing with 15 points. Parker and Ginobili each had eight of the Spurs' 27 assists. The Hornets had 12 assists – five from Paul.
The Spurs outrebounded the Hornets 45-36 and outscored them 30-19 in the decisive third quarter.
New Orleans' David West had three blocks but was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and was visibly frustrated. Reserve Jannero Pargo scored 11 for the Hornets.
“We've just got to make sure we're responding. That's the key,” West said. “We have to respond to what they're trying to do. If we're not able to do that, we're going to find ourselves in some trouble.”
The Hornets were hoping to return to New Orleans with a commanding 3-1 series lead, but allowed Duncan and Parker to shoot a combined 18-of-25 from the field. The only area where the duo struggled was its free-throw shooting. Duncan was 2-of-5 and Parker 5-of-8.
“I really can't explain this one,” Paul said. “We just looked pretty bad out there tonight.”
