The Denver Nuggets ripped New Orleans Hornets to shreds last night (Mon., Apr. 27) 121-63 to take a 3-1 series lead. Denver matched the most lopsided victory in NBA playoff history – when the Minneapolis Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956.
Carmelo Anthony scored all of his 26 points in the first three quarters, and Denver looked twice as quick as New Orleans on both ends of the court. The Nuggets stifled Hornets All-Star Chris Paul, whose four points and six assists amounted to one of the worst games of his career.
The Nuggets can close out the series at home in Game 5 on Wednesday night. They will if they play as well as they did in Game 4, when they led by 20 early in the second quarter and by a lot more most of the second half.
It was the first time Paul, who did not play in the fourth quarter, scored fewer than 14 points in a playoff game.
While New Orleans’ only win in the series was by two points, Denver’s three wins have all been by double digits, including both games played in Denver.
In Game 4, Denver held New Orleans to only 31.5 percent shooting and forced the Hornets into a franchise playoff-high 27 turnovers, which led to 41 Nuggets points.
The Hornets also recorded playoff lows in points, field goals made (17), field goals attempted (54), assists (10) and second-half points (24). Denver’s 121 points set a Hornets opponent playoff high.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.