Hornets vs Spurs - Game 3

A big night from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili helped the San Antonio Spurs come up with a game 3 win against Chris Paul and his News Orleans Hornets. With Parker and Ginobili dropping 31 points apiece, the Spurs were able to prevent themselves from going down 0-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Instead, they were able to bring the series to 2-1 with a chance to tie it up at home on Sunday.

Despite starting the game down 8-0, the Spurs closed the gap to end the first quarter down 23-21. With just seconds remaining in the first half, the Spurs Bruce Bowen hit a 3 pointer and Manu Ginobili hit a jumper at the buzzer to stay within 2 going into halftime. David West and Chris Paul accounted for 30 of the Hornets first half points and led 56-54 going into the third quarter. Bet the NBA Playoffs at the Bodog Sportsbook!

For the first time in the series, instead of falling apart in the third quarter the Spurs scored 29 points, 26 of which came from Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Despite the best efforts of the Spurs to contain him, Chris Paul scored 11 points in the third and kept his team close at 83-78 heading into the fourth.

New Orleans was able to close the gap to 90-88 before the Spurs went on to score the next 11 points and lead 101-88. That run sealed the deal and the Spurs went on to win it 110-99. This was a ‘must win’ game for the Spurs, as going down 3-0 against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets would have almost shut the door on the ‘08 playoffs for the defending World Champions. The home teams have won all 10 games played in the semifinal conference series.

For the San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each scored 31 accounting for 56% of the teams points. Parker also had 4 boards and 11 assists. Tim Duncan added 16 points and led the team with 13 rebounds.

Although in defeat, Chris Paul put on a show scoring 35 including a couple of shots that very few humans could make. He also led his team with 9 assists. David West scored 23 with 12 boards in a losing effort. Bet the NBA Playoffs at the Bodog Sportsbook