| 25 April 2009
If I were to tell you that the Nuggets would surge to start out this game and the Hornets would respond by having Sean Marks and James Posey essentially save their season, is that something you'd be interested in?
The Nuggets busted out to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game and looked to effectively be ending the season for the New Orleans Hornets within the next couple of days. And after a Kenyon Martin mid-range jumper that gave the Nuggs a 22-6 lead with 4:13 left in the first, New Orleans' fans had to be thinking that this simply wasn't their season after all. But James Posey (10 points) and Sean Marks (3 points) sparked a comeback in the first period that cut the Hornets' deficit to just three points and brought them back to a little bit of confidence against a team that had blown them out in the first two games of the series. From there Chris Paul took over and weathered a bad-shooting night from both David West and Peja Stojakovic.
Chris Paul led the game with 32 points and 12 assists and helped keep his team aggressive when the shots and threes weren't necessarily following. He set up big shots for Rasual Butler and got the Hornets to an eight-point lead with 1:32 left in the game. But much like everything else in this series for Nola, nothing came easy and they nearly allowed the Nuggets to take control of a game by closing out the quarter (in this case, the game) very strongly and efficiently. Chauncey Billups scored five of the final seven points in the remaining 1:23 of this game to cut the deficit to one. The Nuggets then stole an inbounds pass, which was arguably one of the worst plays in NBA history with James Posey literally giving it away. But Carmelo Anthony completely rushed his 16-foot attempt to take the lead despite having a lot of time on the clock and the Hornets held on for the two-point victory.
Why Did the Hornets Win This Game
That's actually a really good question considering that they attempted to give the game away early with Denver garnering a quick 16-point lead and then New Orleans nearly giving the game away at the end of the fourth when Carmelo uncharacteristically seemed to panic at the end. David West had another bad shooting night with 7-18 but did end with 19 points for the game. And Peja Stojakovic shot just 1-9, continuing his tradition in the playoffs of retreating and having his onions shrink down to the size of ball bearings. Once again, the real reason they won this game was Chris Paul. In Game Three, he figured out a way to not let Dahntay Jones get under his skin, he embarrassed Anthony Carter and he held Chauncey Billups in check with tough defense on his shot selection.
Why Did the Nuggets Lose This Game
The Nuggets lost this game because they took a huge lead early, got complacent, and lost their offensive rhythm. A lot of that had to do with New Orleans' ability to step up their defensive pressure and force the Nuggets to take contested jump shots. But the Nuggets just continually shot themselves in the foot. There was the rushed final possession in which Carmelo blew but there were also 11 missed free throws that could have easily swung the game in their favor if they concentrated harder to make their freebies. Denver started out the game by hitting 10 of their first 14 shots but finished the rest of the game shooting just 20-60 from the field.
Heading Into Game Four
It would be nice for Hornets fans if Peja and David West could decide to show up to this game and play it like they want to do well. Peja is a complete disaster on the court now because he can't slow down Carmelo Anthony and he can't even counter or attempt to neutralize Melo's points because his own shooting is so terrible. Chris Paul will try to keep the pace of the game controlled and work wide-open shots for his role players to step up. But Denver will try to turn it into a running game to keep the Hornets on their heels and receive another big night from Chauncey Billups.
Prediction: Nuggets take a pivotal Game Four on the road and control of the series
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