Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks finally made the Hornets look like playoff novices, pestering Paul and David West to go a combined 6-for-30 well into the fourth quarter on the way to a 97-87 victory in Game 3 that puts Dallas right back into this series.
"I think we got a lot of shots we wanted," Paul said. "We just missed them."
Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to pull the Mavericks within 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Dallas, where the Hornets haven't won since January 1998.
"We wanted to make sure we made it a series and win this first one," Nowitzki said. "They're going to keep coming. It's going to take the same effort, the same intensity."
Paul was aiming to end New Orleans' problems in Dallas, the way he's changed everything else this series, becoming the first player ever to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in his first two playoff games. But with Jason Terry covering him instead of Jason Kidd, he never came close to making it three straight, finishing with 16 points on 4-of-18 shooting. He still had 10 assists.
"Jet had a lot of energy. It takes lot energy to guard Paul," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.
West, a fellow All-Star, was 3-of-16 through three quarters. He wound up 6-of-20, scoring 14 points. His late surge helped New Orleans cut a 17-point deficit to 90-83 with 2 minutes left, but the Hornets couldn't close the gap.
"We can't have the type of stretches I had to start the game off," West said. "That really put us in a hole."
New Orleans' only consistent scorer was Jannero Pargo, who had 30 points, his most of the season and most ever in a playoff game.
Terry replaced Jerry Stackhouse in the starting lineup and responded with 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:39 left to help hold off the Hornets' final surge.
He had six assists but his biggest contribution was his defense on Paul. The way he kept cutting off Paul's first step early, the speedster seemed to lose his will to drive the lane, looking content running the offense from the 3-point line.
The Mavericks said they would be better simply by being home and they were right. They led by 11 points in the first quarter and were up by seven at halftime. Then came a third quarter that might get NBA conspiracy theorists going.
Dallas took 22 free throws in the period, compared to just seven for New Orleans. Yes, the Mavericks were going to the rim a lot more aggressively. They also were aided by getting into the bonus just 3:17 into the quarter.
"They shot more in one quarter than we did for the game," Paul said
- accurately. The Hornets took only 13 free throws, making them all. Dallas made 15 in the third quarter alone.
