Despite a balky back, West was unstoppable from the start, shooting 16-of-25 from the field for New Orleans, which outscored San Antonio in the pivotal third quarter, 28-11.

Hornets’ starting point guard Chris Paul scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and added 14 assists.

It has been an odd series, with each game a decisive rout by the home team. The Hornets have used the third quarter as the turning point in their three home wins after trailing at the break in each contest.

Morris Peterson scored 12 points on four 3-pointers for New Orleans, which has combined to outscore San Antonio in the third quarter of the three games at New Orleans Arena, 93-46.

Despite a 47-44 halftime deficit, the Hornets were able to rally behind Paul, who was just 1-of-6 in the first half. They opened the third quarter on a 19-4 run, which included nine points by the All-Star point guard to grab a 64-51 advantage with 4:37 left.

The Spurs never seriously threatened to take the lead again.

Holding a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter, New Orleans allowed San Antonio to get as close as eight points on Ime Udoka's 3-pointer with 4:46 left in the game.

Paul then added back-to-back layups to thwart any comeback attempt. His final basket barely beat the shot clock to make it 89-77 with 3:22 left in the game.

Tyson Chandler, who scored just four points, left the game with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter with a bruised left foot. He tried to return to the game, but the foot was too sore.

Chandler was running back on defense as Spurs guard Manu Ginobili was streaking in for layup. Despite being well away from the play, Chandler pulled up lame after taking an awkward step. He was in obvious pain and had to be helped to the bench by teammates.

However, Chandler is expected to play in Thursday's Game 6.

The Hornets have now won 18 of their last 19 home games.

New Orleans, which has never lost a playoff series after winning the first two games, improved to 4-4 all-time in Game 5s. The Hornets have also looked awfully good at home, winning Game 1 by 19 points, Game 2 by 18 and Game 5 by 22. However, it has been a different story in San Antonio, where the Hornets are 0-2

Manu Ginobili scored 20 points and Tim Duncan collected 10 points and 23 rebounds to lead a San Antonio team that shot just 37 percent from the field (29-of-77).

The Spurs were also out-rebounded by the Hornets, 58-46, and committed four more turnovers (10-6). However, the main discrepancy in Game 5 occurred at the foul line where the Spurs were 12-of-18 compared to the Hornets’ 25-of-33.

San Antonio is 39-7 SU and 26-18-2 ATS through 46 home games, with the ‘under’ going 24-21-1. The club is outscoring its opponents at home by an average of 10 points per game (99-89).

New Orleans is 27-18 SU and 26-19 ATS in its first 45 road encounters, with the ‘under’ going 25-20-1. The Hornets are outscoring the opposition on the road by a slim two points per game (99-97).

The ‘under’ has cashed during three of the first five games in this semifinal series.

May 15, 2008