NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) - David West battled through a pinched back nerve for the game of his life and as a result, defending National Basketball Association champion San Antonio is on the brink of a playoff exit.
The 27-year-old power forward scored 38 points to spark New Orleans past San Antonio 101-79 Tuesday, giving the Hornets a three games to two edge over the Spurs in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series.
West's point total, off 16-of-25 shooting, was a career playoff high as were his 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. After a disappointing effort in a game four defeat, West bounced back with a vengeance.
"I was disappointed with how I played. I wanted to come out and have a big night," West said. "We attacked them aggressively. We made them come out of their comfort zone."
There is little comfort for the Spurs, who are in jeopardy of falling short in their bid for a fifth NBA crown in 10 seasons after fading in the third quarter for the third road playoff game in a row.
"The New Orleans defense was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Their defense was the reason we had so many problems in the third quarter. Give them credit for that."
The Hornets can advance to the NBA semi-finals with a victory Thursday at San Antonio, where the Spurs will try to continue the home-team domination in the series and force a seventh game back here on Monday.
"We had to treat this like a game seven," West said. "There's no way we wanted to go back to San Antonio with them having a chance to close us out down there."
The winner will face Utah or the Los Angeles Lakers in the West final for a spot in the championship series. The Lakers and Jazz are deadlocked 2-2 with game five in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
West finished one point shy of Glen Rice's 1997 club record for points in a playoff game but he was just as happy to watch the finish from the bench with his back in pain.
"It stiffened up in the second quarter and never loosened up," West said. "I was just happy we had control of the game. I was ready to sit down. I just have to make sure I have a good day of treatment tommorow."
Hornets coach Byron Scott expects West will be ready to play Thursday.
"I think it's pretty serious. But is it going to kep him out of game six? Probably not," Scott said. "We just have to get some treatment on him and get him ready to go down there for game six."
The other worry for the Hornets was big man Tyson Chandler, who went out late in the fourth quarter with a bruised left foot.
"I will be fine," Chandler said. "I probably won't be able to walk on it tonight but I will be fine. I will be ready for game six. This is the time when you have to suck it up and play."
Scott is also confident Chandler will join West in the possible clincher.
"Both are sore. Both a little beat up," Scott said. "The good thing about both of them is they are young. They should be able to bounce back."
San Antonio led 47-44 at halftime but just as in their two prior home triumphs, the Hornets used a third-quarter spree to seize command. New Orleans has outscored the Spurs 93-46 in third periods at home in the series.
New Orleans began the third quarter with a 20-4 run, seizing a 64-51 lead as the Spurs went 1-of-10 from the field during the drought.
Argentina's Manu Ginobili, who led the Spurs with 20 points, halted the run with a 3-pointer but the damage had been done, the Hornets with a 28-11 edge in the third period.
"When we're playing like that it's going to be hard to beat us," Scott said.
San Antonio pulled within eight in the final minutes, but the Hornets went on a 16-2 run to seal the victory. New Orleans had only six turnovers, matching a club record for fewest giveaways in a playoff game.
Chris Paul added 22 points, 16 in the second half, and grabbed 14 rebounds while Peja Stojakovic contributed 11 rebounds and nine points for the Hornets.
Frenchman Tony Parker had 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting for San Antonio while Tim Duncan grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds for the Spurs but only 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field.
San Antonio's Robert Horry played in his 238th NBA playoff game, passing retired Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most playoff games by any player in NBA history.
