NBA

• Paul helps Hornets over Mavs in Game 1

  
  

  New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Chris Paul had a dazzling playoff debut, pouring in 35 points as the New Orleans Hornets came back from down 12 at the half to rip the Dallas Mavericks, 104-92, in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

  Game 2 is in New Orleans on Tuesday night.

  The MVP candidate added 10 assists and only one turnover for the Southwest Division-champion Hornets, who are back in the postseason for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. David West had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Peja Stojakovic added 14 points for second-seeded New Orleans, which is making its first playoff appearance in the West after switching conferences in the 2004-05 season.

  The reigning MVP, Dirk Nowitzki, scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Dallas, which is trying to recover from last season, when the then-top-seeded Mavs were bounced by Golden State. Josh Howard had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Jason Kidd had 11 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds in his playoff debut for Dallas.

  The clubs split four contests during the regular season, and Saturday's affair was a back-and-forth match, as Dallas dominated the first half, but New Orleans returned the favor and more after the break.

  Trailing by 12 at the intermission, Paul and the Hornets came storming out in the third quarter. The Hornets point guard made the first three baskets for New Orleans, and totaled 15 points in the frame.

  Dallas still held a nine-point lead after Nowitzki free throws at the 5:36 mark, but Paul scored seven straight points to launch a 16-3 burst. The Hornets moved in front when a Paul layup broke a 68-68 tie, and West drained two free throws to close the run, giving New Orleans a 72-68 lead with 1:32 left.

  Kidd banked in a three as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, but replays showed that he just missed getting the shot off in time, and New Orleans led 76-72.

  After a Nowitzki layup to open the fourth pulled Dallas within two, the Hornets responded with a 10-0 run to pull away. Tyson Chandler opened the burst by dropping in an alley-oop layup, and a three-point play by West closed it, giving the Hornets an 86-74 lead with 7:01 to play. The Mavs never recovered.

  New Orleans led by as many as 15 points down the stretch as they rolled to a 1-0 series lead. The Hornets shot 46.6 percent from the field, to only 33.3- percent shooting by Dallas.

  The Hornets came out cold on the offensive end, and an early 14-2 Dallas run gave the Mavs the early edge. Jason Terry closed the run with a layup in the final minute, giving Dallas a 24-13 lead. The Mavs took a 26-19 lead into the second quarter.

  New Orleans closed to within three points early in the second quarter, but the Mavs answered with six straight points to pull ahead 36-27 on a Devean George layup with 6:03 left. Dallas kept pulling away, and threes by Kidd and Howard in the final minute, Howard's in the final seconds, gave the Mavs momentum and a 52-40 lead at the break. Game Notes

  This is the first time the clubs have met in the playoffs...The Hornets have never won a best-of-seven series (0-6)...Paul fell four points short of a Hornets playoff record. Glen Rice had 39 in an opening-round game against the Knicks in 1997. New York swept that series, 3-0, however...New Orleans was 42-3 in the regular season when scoring 100 or more points.

  04/19 22:17:25 ET